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resident-mercie · 4 months

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Leon Kennedy Slow Burn Fic — Lips of an Angel. (1/?) (NSFW.)

Themes: High School Seniors!AU, slow-burn, pining, best friends to lovers. Eventual NSFW (penetrative sex, cream pie, semi-public sex), mentions of pregnancy and abortion.

Mercie’s note: yes this is self indulgent as fuck lol i don’t care

— With high school graduation fast approaching, Leon Kennedy gives his best friend, Annie, an offer that neither of them can really refuse.

“Well. Fuck me.”

Annie sits on the white tiles of her bathroom floor, a pregnancy test in either hand. And both of them are positive, because the world can’t let this poor girl catch a break. She’d been studying her ass off for Stanford, which was rapidly approaching in about two months time, and now…

“I’m knocked up. Great.”

It’s not like she was a naïve girl — I mean, if she wasn’t intelligent, she wouldn’t have gotten herself a place at Stanford. She knew what she was getting herself into that night, but… it was one of those instances where you assume it’s never gonna happen to you. Until it does.

Annie groans, standing up, placing the two tests on the counter, looking at herself from the side in the mirror. She was about four weeks along, so it wasn’t visible. The only people who know are herself, and her dog, mostly because the goofy labrador wouldn’t leave her stomach alone. But she knows that she has to tell the other half involved in this incident — after all, it takes two to tango.

She opens her phone, and her thumb hovers over the contact for her best friend, Leon.

They were an unlikely duo, for sure. Annie was the reserved one of the duo. Quiet, elegant, slightly aloof to those who don’t know her. Leon would always tease her, telling her she was like the moon, or a black cat, because of her elegance. And he wasn’t wrong, either. While Annie was never able to see her own beauty, she really was ethereal. Cascading red hair, porcelain skin, and these eyes that ascended beyond being just blue… they were so light in colour that they were piercingly so, but there was a hidden vulnerability to them if you took in her appearance for long enough. She was the definition of “slim thick”, a real knockout for sure. As her closest girl friends, Claire Redfield and Jill Valentine would always say— “how the FUCK are you single, Annie?”

It was something she’d just laugh off.

Leon Kennedy, her best friend, was the total opposite, however. He was the extrovert, the excitable golden retriever puppy, the sun. If the boy had a tail, it’d be wagging a mile a minute. He was popular amongst the senior cohort for being the star quarterback, yet he was as down to earth as he was the day he enrolled as a freshman. He was always smiling, always joking, but was always very respectful of everyone he interacted with. He didn’t care for arbitrary things like popularity or body counts— he was a respectable guy, and treated everyone with the respect they deserved, no matter the cliques they ran in. He was a dirty blonde, toned, slightly muscular, but slender in frame. His blue eyes were a lot deeper, and if you were Annie… they were a lot softer, but only for her. His guy friends, Chris Redfield and Carlos Oliveira, had no idea how he didn’t have a girlfriend, either.

Annie swallows back her pride, and dials Leon’s number, tapping her thumb against her other hand in beat to the dial tone.

“Moon-cat… it’s three in the damn morning… is it your cramps acting up again? Want me to sneak out and cuddle you?”

Annie chuckles softly into her cell, wishing it was just cramps.

“Something like that, yeah. It’s fine if you can’t sneak out, I don’t your mom ripping you a new one like last time…”

There’s a genuine, happy laugh from the other line.

“Don’t be silly. Gimme fifteen and I’ll shimmy up your dad’s wisteria climber like I did in junior year. Wait for me to knock on your window, m’kay? Love you!”

Annie chuckles softly as Leon hangs up, walking out of her en-suite bathroom, and into her bedroom again. Given the time of night, she’s still in her pyjamas, which are a cropped black tank top, wine red cycling shorts, and black fuzzy slippers. She waits by the window, smiling at the memory of junior year — her periods were particularly bad that year, and it made her a very crappy, very emotional mess. So, Leon would set it so that his phone would only make notifications from her audible on a night, and whenever she’d call in tears, there he’d be, shimmying his way up that damned climbing plant that trailed up to her window, with tampons and chocolate. And then, they’d lay there, spooning for hours, until dawn rose, and Leon would dash back to his house before his parents realised where he was in the next morning. He’d be exhausted, but it made him so happy knowing that she was being cared for, by him, and that she wasn’t alone at her worst.

The lines of their friendship had always been blurred, which is why Annie was now carrying his child.

It was about a month ago, and it was one of the last games of American Football of the season before state championships. Annie knew jackshit about sports outside of Formula One, but she always came with their little friend group, to cheer as loud as humanly possible for him. Their friend group was herself, Leon, Jill Valentine, Carlos Oliveira, and Chris and Claire Redfield.

She remembers the night so vividly…

Annie returns from the concession stand, with a cherry slushie. It’s staining her lips red, which makes the others giggle. She’s in her favourite outfit, that she always wears to the games— little black dress, long, black, heeled thigh high boots, and a black and baby pink racing-style jacket. She’s tied her long, red hair back, but she’s left her bangs loose at the front, so that they frame her face. Her lips have a little red tint to them — a mixture of the slushie, and her red lip tint, and her black eyeliner is done with near surgical precision. She takes her seat in between Jill and Claire, and she sees Leon doing some last stretches on the pitch, before the game. He sees Annie, and sticks his tongue out at her childishly — it was a pre-game tradition for them both. She sticks her tongue back out at him, and she immediately sees Leon crack up upon seeing her slushie-stained tongue.

He plays flawlessly, as always. But there’s something about him tonight that makes him seem prettier than usual — maybe it’s the way the floodlights are illuminating his face, maybe it’s the sheen of sweat covering his body, or maybe it’s that damned goofy smile he cracks at her with each touch-down he scores. The friend group are cheering and chanting his name, but Annie is the loudest. She always has been.

The game ends, and naturally, with Leon on the field, it’s a landslide victory, The friend group walk onto the pitch after the game, praising Leon on the win that he made happen. But he always hugs Annie first and tousles her hair, before he reacts to any of the praise.

Chris is grinning.

“Well, folks. Whose turn is it to treat Leon to his celebratory milkshake this time?

Leon chuckles, but waves his hand.

“You guys go on without me. I need to do some cooldown stretches before I go anywhere. I won’t be able to walk in the morning if I don’t.”

“Damn, Leon! That sounds like what I feel like after I’ve gone out hooking up for the night in my car. But it’s way more fun for me, because I get the chicks, and you all you get is to throw a pigskin around.” Chris laughs. “We’ll see you at the diner, yeah? Don’t be late or the free milkshake offer will expire.

Leon just rolls his eyes playfully.

“Yeah, yeah. See you guys in a little while.”

The others head to the diner, but Annie hangs back, smiling at Leon. They look back, expecting her to come with, but Carlos just shakes his head and laughs.

“Leave those two to it. They’re looking at each other with those damned eyes they give each other again. ‘Just best friends”, my ass.”

The others laugh, partially in amusement, partially in agreement, and they head to leave the pitch,

Annie walks up to him, wrapping her arms around him slowly.

“You were incredible out there, really. That thing you did where you threw the ball on the ground? Incredible. Sent everyone fucking bananas.”

Leon laughs softly, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“Ever considered the whole sports commentary thing after graduation next month instead of Stanford? You really do have a way with words that makes American Football sound riveting.” He rolls his eyes playfully, nudging her. “C’mon, let’s go sit on the bleachers for a while. I just wanna relax for a bit, because you know the moment we step foot in that damned diner, Chris and Carlos are gonna be ribbing each other over something stupid.”

Annie laughs softly, and Leon takes her hand, and they sit in the very top corner of the bleachers. Everyone has gone now, and the stars are out, illuminating the two souls, whose connection goes beyond just the platonic— but they’re currently none the wiser.

She rests her head on Leon’s shoulder instinctively, as they look up at the stars together. They see one shoot by, and Annie gasps happily.

“Shooting star! You gotta make a wish, Leon.”

Leon laughs softly, breaking his gaze from the stars, to look at Annie’s face.

“C’mon, you seriously don’t believe in all that, right?”

Annie pouts, nudging him playfully.

“I still made a wish,” she grumbles softly.

Leon puts of an act of mock defeat, holding his heart dramatically, as if he’s just been wounded.

“And you didn’t tell me? C’mon, An—ni—iiie! Tell me!” He laughs, shaking her by the shoulders, which makes Annie giggle.

“I can’t tell you. You’ll take the piss out of me.”

“I’m your best friend,” Leon chuckles. “Taking the piss out of you is basically my full-time occupation.”

Annie glares playfully, and Leon notices a slight hint of blush creep across her cheeks.

“F-fine. My wish is… that I’m not gonna graduate as a virgin. I’m one of the only people, to my knowledge, who is still a virgin in the senior cohort. There’s six weeks till graduation, and I’d feel like a total loser if I graduated as a virgin.”

Leon laughs aloud into the stars, but then his expression softens when he realises that Annie really means it.

“Annie… it’s just a dumb teen rite of passage. You don’t gotta do it if you don’t wanna.”

“I know, I know. But after graduation, I have two months, before I end up at Stanford. And I guess… I want my first time to be special, rather than with a college frat boy who sees me as just another notch on his bedpost, you know?’

Leon’s face softens, and he takes his hand in hers, and their gazes both return back to the stars.

“You know I’m still a virgin too, right, Annie?” Leon chuckles softly.

“Bullshit. There’s no way you haven’t lost yours.”

“I’m being serious.”

They both go quiet again, Leon running his calloused thumb over the soft skin of her hand. The stars are flashing, twinkling, and Leon places a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

“Are you really serious about losing your virginity before graduation, Annie? Is this something you really want?”

Annie nods, sighing softly as she keeps her gaze on the stars.

“In that case… let me pitch what might be the most bizarre offer in the history of our friendship, ever,” Leon chuckles, still rubbing her thumb over her dainty little hand. “If you’re dead set on wanting to have your first time, then… let it be with me, your best friend. Let’s give each other our virginities, right here, right now.”

“Wait, for real?”

“Only if you wanna, of course. The bleachers are empty, so… why not?”

Leon stands up, sliding off his varsity jacket. He lays it out on the bleacher table, smiling.

“It’s not the most ideal, I know. But I think having our first times under the stars would be way prettier than doing it in the back of that damn car you never clean,” he teases “so… what do you say?”

Annie stands up now, wrapping herself around Leon, looking up at him with those intensely blue eyes.

“Thank you, Leon. There’s… no one else I’d want to do this with.”

He smiles, and his lips graze against hers softly, his hand coming up to wrap itself against her cascading, red mane. There’s a tenderness, and a hidden longing oozing from the both of them, Annie craning her neck slightly to meet his mouth. Her own hands snake up the back of his neck, and she seems to pull him in closer, desperate for time to just freeze, and for the two of them to be stuck in this moment forever. Annie’s tongue softly meets his lower lip, a sensation that makes Leon shudder in arousal.

“Annie, f-fucking hell…” Leon groans, immediately feeling all the blood rush between his thighs. He’s kissing back with longing, pining, and Annie is moaning softly against his lips.

His free hand travels lower, caressing her ass softly, worshipping her curves with his hand.

“You’re beautiful, Annie,” Leon breathes, pulling away from her softly with a smile. “To do this for you, it’s… well, let’s just say I’m feeling like I’m a damn lucky guy.”

Annie giggles softly, as she presses her forehead to his, her breath hot and sweet. “You’re pretty too, Leon. Pretty damn silly.”

Leon laughs softly, grazing his lips against hers, groaning at the touch. He’s already pitching a tent, and Annie feels herself throbbing from such a simple, yet intimate touch. He scoops her up into those athletic arms of his, and lays her on the varsity jacket he’d laid out on the bleacher bench earlier. He smiles softly at her, as he climbs on top of the bench, over her, caressing her face with his calloused fingertips.

“I-I’m already hard, Annie, I-I won’t lie. I might not last very long…” Leon gives her that signature lopsided smile, and Annie just giggles softly.

“I don’t care about that, Leon. Having you do this for me… well, I can’t thank you enough.”

Leon presses his lips to hers, pining for her touch, and they moan against the other’s lips, as they graze their tongues against one another in such an intimate state.

“Th-the pleasure’s all mine, Annie…”

Leon’s hands snake up her dress, and he looks for Annie to give him the go ahead to slide down her panties, and she nods. They’re black silk, which makes Leon smile softly, and he turns to Annie.

“Good choice in panties.” He chuckles, bringing them down around her ankles.

“Only the best for me.” Annie rolls her eyes playfully, which makes Leon laugh softly, looking at his best friend with an admiration and affection that’s bubbling over the boundaries of platonic.

Leon’s fingers find their way between her thighs, and to her pussy. His thumb finds her clit with ease, and he massages the little bud, while his index and middle fingers trace softly around the outside of her wetness. Annie lets out a happy little purr, arching her back at the touch. The sound she lets out simultaneously makes Leon so happy to see his best friend having a good time, but also makes him even more horny, if that’s even possible. He can’t help but kiss her thighs softly and messily, and Annie lets out a sound that’s half giggle, half moan.

“I’ve always told you this…,” he murmurs from in between her thighs, “but you’ve always had the prettiest voice. You know that, right?”

The sweet smell of her pussy is making him whimper, and he can’t help but lap softly at it, which makes Annie whimper in turn. This is Annie’s experience, he thought to himself, and he just wants to worship every bit of her body, like it deserves. Annie reaches her hand down to stroke his hair as he laps softly at her, her eyelashes fluttering at the sensation. Her happy little moans are like cocaine to him, and he can’t help but smile and whimper with each contented noise she makes.

He gets up from his position now, and leans over the top of her again, running his fingers over her fading self-harm scars from sophomore year, smiling at her with such an intense admiration for her body. Annie can feel the heat rising inside her, and she lets out a little breathy “I’m ready, Leon.”, smiling at him softly. Leon bites his lip a little, sliding down the trousers of his football uniform, his belt making a slight clinking sound. He shakes them from his ankles clumsily, which makes Annie giggle, and him smile. As he pulls down his boxers, Leon notices he’s already been dribbling pre-cum, just from the feel of her lips and the taste of her wetness alone.

Annie giggles softly, as she watches him toss his boxers aside with the trousers of his football uniform.

“Man, I must taste good for you to react like that.”

Leon chuckles, as he climbs back on top of her.

“You were always somehow even prettier when you were more self-confident, Annie.”

He takes one of Annie’s little hands in his larger ones, their fingers interlocking, while the other holds her waist.

“If it feels like too much, promise me you’ll say something. This is your experience, moon-cat.”

“I promise, sun-puppy.”

Leon slides into her, and for a split second, their visions blur, at the sheer sensation of their bodies becoming one. If there was an ultimate nirvana, it was this. Two best friends, who didn’t even realise that in a matter of months, their feelings would stretch beyond the platonic entirely. They both moan at the same time, and then smile at each other, laughing breathlessly. Annie’s hand tightens its grip around Leon’s, as his thrusts start softly and gently in intensity. He’s so needy, so hard, that Annie is almost certain that she can feel him throughout her whole body. She smiles at him, smiling breathlessly, mouth slightly agape, as if to say, ‘keep going’. As they share one another under the stars, all that Leon is thinking about is Annie. And all Annie is thinking about is Leon. She’s quivering pleasurably underneath him, as she wraps her legs around Leon’s toned back, which makes Leon smile softly, kissing the corner of her mouth. Annie uses her free hand to play with his hair, smiling breathlessly at him. It was if they were high, or drunk, on one another. The other’s touch, the other’s pheromones, the other’s presence. It’s as if they can both feel a molten heat rising in their cores, as Leon keeps his gentle pace, but it’s clear they’re both ready for their releases.

“Leon…”

Leon takes his free hand, caressing her cheek.

“Annie.”

She’s tightening and convulsing around him, as if her body is trying to pull him in closer, deeper. It’s so heavenly that they’re both losing their damn minds — their senses totally clouded by the presence of the other. Leon moans her name softly, groaning as he kisses the corner of her mouth, his cock twitching, flooding her needy pussy with his hot cum. Annie’s eyes roll back. and she pulls Leon closer with her free hand and her legs, and she tightens around him as she reaches her own climax. She’s left a very sweet flood of arousal at the base of his softening cock, as the both of them lay there, spent, panting, but grinning. Annie wasn’t on birth control, and Leon didn’t have a condom to hand, but the feeling of the sex— no, the love-making between them, had completely clouded their judgment. As Leon pulled out, the two of them started laughing breathlessly, and he kissed her forehead tenderly…

As Annie is reminiscing from that night a month ago, she hears a gentle tap at the window. It’s Leon, her “sun-puppy”, having shimmied up the wisteria plant with his iconic lopsided grin, waiting to be let in.

“Hey, moon-cat! I brought chocolate. What’s up, anyway?”

Annie gulps softly as he very clumsily rolls through her window, and takes a deep breath.

This is gonna be one helluva conversation.

#resident evil #fanfic #fanfiction #carlos oliveira #resident evil fanfiction #leon kennedy smut #resident evil imagine #leon s kennedy x reader #leon kennedy x reader #leon s kennedy #re2 leon #leon kennedy #leon scott kennedy #leon kennedy x oc

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anonnie-in-wonderland · 1 year

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Home Calls the Heart

Summary: Twenty-year old L/N Y/N realizes she might be, okay, is a little bit of a social pariah. But there’s not much she can really do about it. Until a dreary winter day, when a determined, persistent dog hybrid named Taehyung shows up and declares that he’s interested in adopting her for himself and the rest of his lonely pack.

chapter: five

Word Count: 8.9k+

rating: T (uh, once again none I can think of this time)

genre: romance | hurt/comfort| magic AU

tags: bts x reader | ot7 x reader | hybrid | poly| FM!reader

Emperor Penguin!Seokjin, Golden Retriever!Taehyung, Coyote!Hoseok, Mountain Lion!Yoongi, Wolfdog!Namjoon, Kingfisher!Jimin, Holland Lop!Jungkook

prev//next

Author’s Note: Thank you everyone for your patience. I really thought I’d have had time to put this out a lot sooner than this, but it was just too busy. But I hope this can be like a holiday gift maybe!

The rabbit stood stiffly off to the side as his family (and their guest) prepared the table. Like Namjoon, everyone had been both surprised and relieved to see him out of the room and willing to join them, greeting him with smiles and a few hugs.

They backed off quickly though, probably scared they were going to overwhelm him if they made a big deal about it for too long. Jungkook supposed it made sense they would treat him as fragile, he was the youngest so it was already a given they babied him for years. Then when Gramps left them suddenly he did kind of check out.

Admittedly, when Jin-hyung mentioned a guest staying overnight, Jungkook hadn’t thought about it. The information slipped away almost as fast as it registered. He had more important things to wallow about think over. And, even if he had been paying attention, the pack maknae would have just come to the conclusion it was someone they already knew.

The neighboring farms, spread out as they were, had known about Gramps. They sent condolences or a few dishes for the boys to eat while the lawyer helped break down his will and the hyungs made funeral arrangements. Why would any of them bring a new person around when they were all still mourning?

Clearly, a lot had happened since he’d shut himself off, because the human girl among them was brand new to him. She had to have been new to the others too, because they didn’t keep secret friends from each other.

“Um, so, anywhere in particular I should set this?” the newcomer was asking Jin. She held up the plate of eggs she had been given. (Y/N). Namjoon-hyung said her name was (Y/N).

“Somewhere near the middle is fine,” Yoongi answered instead, walking by with a big, chilled pitcher of orange juice to place. “If any of these uncivilized heathens want some, they’re not shy about taking their share.”

Even Yoongi-hyung was acknowledging her? Jungkook barely held back his look of surprise. Being that Yoongi was born a wild hybrid, and had spent a portion of his childhood that way, he was more wary of new humans than most.

Gramps and a few of the old man’s associates that came around over the years and were trustworthy were about the only exceptions. Every other non-hybrid person that came into their space got the cold shoulder for the most part.

“Speaking of that, (Y/N) you fix your plate first.” Jin instructed, finally setting down the amazingly fluffy, mouth-watering stack of pancakes. “I made more than usual but I still doubt there’ll be any extras.” Jungkook’s nose twitched as the warm steam wafted into his nostrils, carrying the sweet and gooey fragrance of cinnamon rolls.

His hyung was definitely a culinary genius. Fusing breakfast pancakes and dessert should have been a crime, it was so good.

“It’s been so long since hyung made these,” Taehyung stated, tail wagging. “I don’t think I can hold back.”

“Do you ever?” Namjoon muttered, though there was a small smile on his full lips.

Once everything was out and set up, everyone scrambled to take their seats. Jungkook went for his usual spot slowly, noticing that (Y/N) hung back, looking painfully out of place. She was still wearing Taehyung’s coat, though it was open, revealing Jimin’s pajamas.

The minute he had seen that, Jungkook grew more curious than ever about who she was to the others. Yeah, sometimes if one of their friends came over and spent the night they might borrow a change of clothes, but not a female friend.

“Wait,” Taehyung brought attention to the same thing he noticed, absently placing his hand on Namjoon’s wrist before it could bump his glass. “(Y/N) hasn’t sat down.”

That was when everyone turned their attention on the awkward female standing by, then glanced around the table. All the spots had been set but one, and Jungkook had taken up his usual one.

There was only one seat left, and there was something about it that made offering it up wrong. Gramps. Gramps’ spot remained empty and untouched, chair tucked neatly in. Evidently, even their guest could sense that was not a seat for the taking, as she had opted to just stand around instead of sitting there.

“Oh, it’s no big deal,” she assured them. “I can eat at the counter…”

“You don’t want to sit with us?” Taehyung pouted, the puppy eyes in full effect.

“It’s not that!” She said quickly, “I just…”

“Just grab an extra chair and we’ll all scoot down.” Yoongi mumbled, “It’s not that big of a deal. I’m hungry and ready to eat.”

Blinking, the others nodded slowly, seemingly okay with that suggestion.

(Y/N) made her way to an available stool just as Jimin got up to fetch it for her, ever thoughtful. Their hands landed on it at the same time, and they both paused, then shared a brief chuckle.

“Let me,” Not taking no for an answer, Jimin picked it up easily and brought it to the table, placing it between his chair and Hoseok’s. (Y/N) thanked them and sat down, allowing breakfast to continue.

While it was true he’d only been nibbling at his meals the last week, suddenly the low hunger pangs in his stomach were making him regret that. His fingers loosely gripped the silverware, waiting a little impatiently as a girl he had never seen before got to take her time preparing her own plate at Jin and Taehyung’s insistence.

Finally she was done, and just like that, everyone sprang at the food simultaneously, the loud clambering nearly drowning out Jin’s scolding about having some manners. Jungkook was so used to it, he didn’t even bat an eye, holding his own just fine against his hyungs as he secured a stack of pancakes, eggs, and a few links of sausage. Jin didn’t cook Western often, and he wanted to savor it. But his stomach had other plans, and when he stuffed the first few heavenly bites in his mouth, the bunny would admit he wasn’t sure he tasted it until after it went down.

“So, what do you think?” Hoseok asked (Y/N) conversationally, keeping an eye on his plate in case anyone got greedy and snuck a few bites. They loved each other, but everyone in the household knew all was fair in food and war.

“Good,” she hummed, having another bite after swallowing the first. “Really good. Thank you for letting me share this meal with you. It beats the energy bar and coffee I usually wolf down in the morning.”

“It’s nothing,” Jin smiled, clearly pleased with her approval of his cooking. “It’s the least we can do since you put up with this one’s insolence,” he waved his hand at Taehyung, who tucked in closer to his plate and avoided Jin’s eyes, “And helped with Jilju this morning.”

Jungkook perked up at that. He hadn’t planned to say much unless someone addressed him directly, still equally curious and cautious of the girl among them, but he couldn’t ignore anything that had to do with his horse. Outside his hyungs and Gramps, she was the one he was closest to on the farm. “Jilju? What’s wrong with Jilju?”

“Oh, nothing now.” Namjoon popped some eggs into his mouth, grinning deeply in a way that brought out his dimples. “(Y/N) was able to take care of it. It was very impressive.”

(Y/N) sank down a little, trying to hide a small blush in her shoulder. “Just doing my job.”

“How’d that go, by the way?” Jimin urged, cutting up his pancakes into neat pieces the way he always did before eating. “What was wrong?”

He turned to (Y/N) curiously, and Jungkook watched her closely as well, head full of questions.

“Well…where to start…” she paused, lowering her fork with sausage on the end. “She was a little anxious, for one. I think I got through to her. I reassured her that she’s doing the best she can by Jungkook, and that there’s no need to worry about losing her connection to him.”

“Why would she think that?” Jungkook frowned, then turned to his nearest hyung, Yoongi. “How would she know that Jilju thinks that?”

“Because,” Yoongi had opted for coffee instead of juice, and the strong smell of the brew singed the hairs inside Jungkook’s nose a bit. How his hyung chugged that stuff black he would never know, “Our new friend here has magic, and her gift is understanding the emotions of animals.”

“And hybrids,” Taehyung added proudly.

Jungkook only stared at the girl, who squirmed slightly, awkward smile in place. “Magic?” He repeated.

“Mhm,” Namjoon nodded, “You know, the rare individuals who are born with a special ability? I’ve read a book on it that—”

“I know what it means, hyung,” he said, then cringed inside when Namjoon’s ears drooped. His hyung was always so genuinely excited to share what he learned with them, and they all listened indulgently, even if they had heard him rambling about it a hundred times. He really hadn’t meant to sound like he didn’t care, he was just struggling to understand.

How had his colony come across a human with magic? Did she come just to check the animals then? They had all acted like they understood that Gramps wasn’t coming back, so he wouldn’t be surprised that it had impacted their moods. “Sorry…” he mumbled at Namjoon. “I just don’t get it. Why would Jilju tell you what was worrying her if she didn’t tell me?”

“Sometimes it can be…hard…for animals to communicate some things to us, even when we share a strong bond. Sometimes they deliberately try to avoid worrying us,” she said patiently.

Jungkook shoveled more food in his mouth and tried to avoid pouting. When his hyung’s food tasted so good, it was normally hard not to be happy but right now…he was a little annoyed. Some stranger turned up and it felt like she understood his friend better than he did.

“That’s…not all.” (Y/N) shared, smiling as everyone looked at her curiously. “It turns out Jilju is also expecting.”

“What?” Jimin gasped, speaking in unison with Jungkook, who dropped his fork.

“Yeah…” Namjoon rubbed his neck. “It surprised me too. Remember when one of the horses from Mr. Lee’s farm escaped and we found him the next morning?”

“Jilju’s pregnant?” Jungkook couldn’t believe it. His horse? Was going to be a mother?

“Apparently,” (Y/N) chimed in, “Surprise, and um, congrats!”

Jungkook said nothing, still processing that information.

“We’ll have to make sure she has enough rations,” Yoongi mused. “She’s eating for two now.”

“And we’ll keep the stable comfy-cozy for her,” Hoseok sang.

“You’re an uncle, Jungkook!” Tae clapped, the faint thump of his wagging tail easy to pick up with his sensitive ears. “And we might not have found out so soon if I never met (Y/N) yesterday. I knew I picked a quality human.”

“Yesterday?” Jungkook was a rabbit, not a parrot, but it felt like all he could do was squawk out every word that blindsided him. “You met her…yesterday?”

Taehyung nodded.

“Then why is she here?”

“Jungkook,” Jin huffed, “That was a little rude, don’t you think?”

“Not really,” (Y/N) disagreed, “it’s fair.”

“Why did you say ‘picked a quality human’?” He said, ignoring her. The longer she was here, the more Jungkook felt his discomfort grow. What was going on?

“Because—”

“Long story. Not Tae’s most well thought out decision, either.” Yoongi smoothly disrupted whatever the dog was about to reveal, and Jungkook glared a bit.

“Can’t you just tell me what’s going on?” The bunny insisted, aware he sounded the part of the petulant youngest brother, but also irritated with being kept in the dark. “Who are you?” he asked (Y/N).

“Tae’s heart was in the right place…” Jimin sighed, “He just didn’t think it through, like hyung said.”

“Taehyungie brought (Y/N) home, because he thought having someone new around could cheer us up.” Hoseok explained carefully, to which the younger canine hybrid nodded in agreement.

That explained…a little bit. They loved Taehyung and his spontaneity and eccentricity, but sometimes it caught everyone off guard. “Why her, specifically?” Jungkook pressed, “Because she’s got magic?”

“I didn’t even know that when we met, actually.” Taehyung admitted, hiding in his curls sheepishly. “She just…seemed nice. I got a good feeling.”

Their hyung had brought a random human back to them, when they were all still so upset at losing their main caregiver and father-figure, off of a ‘good feeling’?

The rabbit could feel his foot tap irritably. “What?” His voice came out flat, unimpressed. “That’s stupid, hyung.”

“Yeah, it was,” Yoongi rolled his eyes, stabbing into his pancakes with extra force. “But we’ve been over that already. We talked, we fought, some of us cried…” His glittering emerald eyes slid to Taehyung. “It was a whole thing.”

“I haven’t been over it,” Jungkook protested, “I’m not over Gramps! I…I thought none of you were either!”

“We’re not,” Namjoon said calmly. “All our hearts are still broken.”

“Right now it doesn’t feel like that, hyung.” he hissed, full on glaring at (Y/N), making her flinch. “I don’t care how special a human she is. She’s not Gramps.”

“Here we go again…” He heard Yoongi say.

Jungkook began to collect his food with the intention of retreating upstairs, because like hell he’d be able to enjoy it like this, and there was no way he was leaving it or throwing it out either.

(Y/N) also lurching to her feet at the same time was the last thing he expected, and he instinctively stilled, cradling his plate protectively while making himself bigger.

Thanks to Gramps indulging him years ago when he said he wanted to work out and get stronger, the youngest hybrid was well aware he wasn’t built like an ordinary bunny.

They were genetically predispositioned to petite or average frames, and because of their prey genes, putting on muscle—except maybe in their legs—did not come as easily for them as it did for predators.

But with dedication and hard work, Jungkook had made himself someone to be reckoned with, and now when they went out, predator hybrids gave pause as they tried to size him up.

His scent was still recognizable to them as rabbit, if they got close enough, but he didn’t get intimidated after living and growing up with several of his natural predators.

Plus his size helped him stand toe to toe with the snake, cat and fox hybrids out there who might try making him uncomfortable.

Needless to say, an average human like (Y/N) had no chance. He could tell her first instinct was to back down. But she swallowed it down in the next second, her eyes determined, “Wait, please don’t leave.”

Jungkook stopped, unable to help himself. What could she want to say? Nothing was going to change his mind about her not being a suitable replacement for Gramps. No one was.

“You weren’t at the meal yesterday, so you didn’t hear it but…I’m sorry.” One minute she was speaking, the next minute she was bowing deeply. “I’m sorry for your loss, and I’m sorry for making you uncomfortable. It doesn’t matter about what the circumstances were that brought me here, it still ended up causing pain, and that’s my fault.”

“(Y/N),” Taehyung sounded like he wanted to object, but she straightened, shaking her head.

“It’s the truth.” She said firmly. “The choice to follow you here, even when I learned you wanted a new family member, that was on me. I should have used common sense and stopped you, especially knowing you didn’t live alone.” Nervous energy poured off of her as she played with her sleeve. “Also I…I lost someone too.” Judging by the silent reactions, this was information none of the others had heard before. “Not as recently as you did, but he was a very dear friend to me, and the eight months I’ve spent without him have been really hard.” (Y/N) bowed her head mournfully.

Jungkook looked at her, really looked at her. He would have never assumed she was also missing someone as deeply as he was missing Gramps, but then he’d only just met her, and how she felt wasn’t his priority so much as wanting her to go away.

Oblivious, or ignoring everyone’s staring, (Y/N) kept talking. “So I relate to that pain you’re all going through right now, and I’d never disrespect your bond to a member of your family by trying to force myself into that dynamic or think I could fill a hole that large in any of you. Everyone we ever love is special. Different.”

Her voice cracked on the last word, so briefly only a hybrid could have heard it. “I’m glad I could help solve your problem with Jilju, and thank you for letting me stay the night and even have breakfast, but if my clothes are dried, I should go. Everyone here’s been great, but you deserve your home back.” Cleaning up her spot hastily, (Y/N) stood in the kitchen doorway and gave them one last bow, eyes full of sincerity, then scurried out of sight.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She came down the stairs, almost dreading running into anyone. Why did she have to keep making a mess of things with these hybrids? They’d probably be glad to be rid of her.

Who wouldn’t want to free themselves of a pest. Gathering the meager things she had arrived with, neatly folding Jimin’s borrowed pajamas after changing back into her clothes, and stripping the sheets (knowing how sensitive hybrids were to smell, and figuring Jungkook wouldn’t want her scent in the middle of his room), (Y/N) was pretty much ready to go.

Creeping down the stairs, she found it was quiet, and glanced around unsurely. While she wanted to be out of their hair, leaving without saying goodbye would be…rude. But so would wandering around their house in search of someone.

Luckily, the sound of voices conversing in another room gave her an indicator about where everyone might be, and she mustered up her courage to go find them.

Peeking her head in, she found Namjoon, Jin, Hoseok and Yoongi talking amongst themselves at the kitchen bar, though they all looked up immediately. Damn. No way to go undetected when super hearing was in the mix, huh?

“All set?” Jin asked.

(Y/N) nodded. “I am. Thanks to you, and sorry again for the trou—”

“Apologies are played out, don’t you think?” Yoongi interrupted, appearing bored as his long tail swished lazily. “We’re not interested in hearing any more of them.”

“This hyung’s always so shy about showing new people how he feels.” Hoseok giggled, pinching Yoongi’s cheek affectionately. “But he’s just trying to say none of us think you have anything else to apologize for. It’s been talked over, and in the end it was just a misunderstanding, right?”

(Y/N) frowned, shifting her weight from foot to foot. “But, Jungkook—”

“He’ll be okay.” Namjoon reassured her, his ears flickering. “In time anyway. Right now he’s working out to blow off steam instead of holed up in Gramps’ room again. That’s big progress.”

“Plus he ate all his food.” Jin practically swooned.

“Yeah, kid’s gonna be back to eating us out of house and home in no time.” Yoongi chuckled, the fondness in his voice clear.

“See, no permanent damage done.” Hoseok concluded.

“Well…that’s a relief.” (Y/N) grinned weakly. “Anyway, I really should get—”

“Hyungs!” Taehyung’s excited shout made her jump, but the four hybrids siting around the bar didn’t appear surprised at all.

“No one listens to my rules,” Jin groaned. “I say no running. I say no yelling in the house. I say put your clothes in the hamper and not on the floor. Am I talking for my health?”

“At this point…” Yoongi mused, though he didn’t finish when Taehyung burst in.

“Oh, (Y/N)!” He greeted her, face lighting up as soon as their eyes met. “I’m glad you’re still here.”

The pup still kind of gave her whiplash, but somehow, (Y/N) thought she might have been getting used to it. “How come?”

“Cause the lake’s frozen,” he said gleefully, “And you know what that means?” He asked his hyungs. They glanced between each other, quiet. “We should play outside. Have a snow day. We haven’t done that all season, and—”

“Tae, you brat,” The airy voice of Jimin complained from behind them. (Y/N) turned to see him wearing a scowl and trudging through the front door the dog had left open. “Why’d you take off like that? And after I helped you get your tongue unstuck from…oh.” His eyes widened when he noticed the crowd in the kitchen and doorway.

“What’d he get his tongue stuck to?” Hoseok pressed curiously.

Taehyung shrugged, “Jimin dared me to lick a sheet of metal.” He tattled nonchalantly.

“I didn’t think you’d do it!” The avian hybrid exclaimed, throwing up his arms, wings rustling.

“You two can’t be left unsupervised for more than ten minutes.” Yoongi sighed. “You were supposed to be making sure all the animals had enough blankets and fresh hay.”

“We did,” Taehyung’s tail was slowly gaining speed and his ears had a slight lift, “Then I noticed what a good snow day it’d be. C’mon hyungs, please?” (Y/N) had not been around long, but she absolutely knew what was coming next, and turned to preemptively shield her eyes just as Taehyung made his bigger, rounder and more innocent pitiful. “You should join us too, (Y/N).”

Gah, oh no! He turned the force of his gaze on her, and gently clasped one of her hands for good measure, trying to tug the other one down.

“Hmm…I guess all of us haven’t been outside much besides tending to the farm.” Hoseok murmured. “We use to roam the property and play outside all the time. Maybe it’d be okay to indulge the pup this one time,”

“One time’s enough for a fun time,” Taehyung cheered.

“‘One time’ is enough to make it a habit.” Yoongi corrected. “You think we met you yesterday, pup?”

“Still, what’s it hurting?” Jin added his two cents. “Winter weather feels great to me.”

“Hyung, that’s a given,” Namjoon pointed out, “But okay, I guess a little time outside wouldn’t be so bad.”

Taehyung clapped, “Meet you all out at the shed!” He put a hand on (Y/N)’s shoulder. “You can come wait for us near the ice.” The next thing she knew, she was being steered towards the door.

“Hey, hold on,” Jimin huffed, “Don’t just drag her around without letting her decide for herself. And she’ll need a coat, hat, gloves and boots if she’s coming out with us. She’s not resistant to the cold.” he ended, rolling his eyes at the dog’s impulsiveness.

“I…thanks for the invite but I don’t wanna get in the way…”

“Please,” Taehyung not only used the eyes this time, but hit her with a very puppy-like whimper, and (Y/N) crumbled like a sandcastle kicked over.

“Okay…just a little while though.”

Taehyung gleefully brought her to the hall closet so she could borrow some winter layers again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The glistening lake caught the weak sunlight of the winter sky, sparkling like a diamond that had just been given a polish.

The farm really was an idyllic winter scene right now, (Y/N) marveled. The trees were bare and the snow was heaped up all around, but it was still manageable to get around the property.

She waited patiently by the lake, which was conveniently next to the shed Taehyung had mentioned. It could have been its own little house, and even boasted a small porch. The boys had ran right into it, promised they’d be back shortly, and closed the door.

‘I didn’t see Jungkook join them though.’ (Y/N) couldn’t help but think about the last person she had blindsided, staring off into the distance, where she could make out the main house.

Was he still exercising? Did he know they were going to play outside? He shouldn’t have to miss a time to have fun with his family just because she was being included. Doubts about staying started to creep up again, but before they could consume her too much, the shed’s door creaked open, and out waddled a very impressive, tall emperor penguin.

(Y/N) gasped, gazing at the proud bird in awe as it bobbed over to her, stopping a short distance away as if waiting for her to be done admiring him. “S-Seokjin-ssi?” It had to be him, right?

The flightless bird bowed his head in confirmation, turning completely around once so she could see all of him. His sleek body was beautiful, and perfectly designed for this element.

(Y/N) had only seen penguins on TV and once from behind a glass at the zoo. Nothing did justice to Seokjin’s impressive form. And when he stepped onto the frozen lake and gracefully began skating around, (Y/N) was even more gobsmacked. “Wow…”

A bark disrupted her admiration of Seokjin’s moves on the ice, and she found a familiar golden dog bounding towards her.

Taehyung got into a playful crouch as he approached, tail fanning high behind him. (Y/N) giggled, bending to meet him. “So this is what you had in mind?”

He yipped, spinning in circles and then taking advantage of her proximity to lean up and lick her cheek before lunging away.

(Y/N) put a gloved hand over the spot, jaw dropping as she watched Taehyung run and roll around in the snow. More of the hybrids emerged from the shed, two more canines following him.

There was a slender but well-muscled coyote that trotted out calmly and sat on his haunches to watch Seokjin skating and Taehyung playing. Followed by a large, bi-colored canine of intimidating stature with intelligent eyes. Namjoon for sure.

His thick, black coat was streaked through with silver, something (Y/N) doubted was from age. It looked like a natural pattern, and a cool one at that. His thick tail waved once, and then he stopped next to Hoseok and observed too. “All your animal forms are so beautiful.”

Hoseok’s ears went back and his eyes got round, a smile on his muzzle. He was the normal golden brown of a coyote, but with a russet undertone more prominent now that he had shifted than it was before. He tilted his head back at the shed and barked, sounding like he was beckoning someone.

A short, feline snout popped out, and then slowly a whole head. (Y/N) watched the big cat watch them, until he decided to place one paw outside the structure, and then another.

Soon a mountain lion was stalking silently from the shed with all the languid grace of an apex predator. (Y/N)’s heart skipped a beat as his gorgeous green eyes found her, then turned to his fellow hybrids as if to say, ‘I’m out here, now what?’

Taehyung quickly took care of that, seizing on his opportunity once he saw his hyungs and running straight for them. Yoongi grumbled, lifting a paw as if to stop him. It didn’t even make the dog break stride, and he tumbled into the other hybrids, licking them all mercilessly in the face and yipping cutely as if to thank them.

(Y/N) had to hide a giggle when Yoongi swatted at him with his tail and Taehyung caught it in his mouth, tugging on it and trying to pull him in closer by it.

Although that seemed to annoy the mountain lion, his tugs to reclaim his appendage were half-hearted at best. Hoseok joined in, though he seemed to be on no one’s side but his own.

One minute he was pulling Yoongi’s ear and gently getting cuffed for it, the next he was nosing at Taehyung’s sides like he was trying to tickle him, and it got the dog to let go and show his belly, evidently still ticklish no matter what form.

(Y/N) almost didn’t notice the last presence, one hovering close to her face, until the cutest little chirp drew her attention.

A deep blue bird was flying right next to her, and when she studied him, he chirped again. “Ohh, Jimin-ssi, your plumage is so shiny.” The bird landed on her shoulder, puffing out his chest in pride as she grinned. So little, so cute.

Seokjin, noticing the rough-housing happening on the snowbank, glided over to join everyone.

Soon five hybrids were chasing each other around, occasionally someone getting tackled and going down with a face full of snow to show for it. (Y/N) stood and watched, not sure if she should be joining or keeping out of the way.

Jimin had flit from her shoulder and was egging the others on, tugging at their fur and then darting away when they looked over their shoulder. He’d peck someone and then zip up into the air before they could even think about getting him.

But given that he was so small and delicate in this form, (Y/N) couldn’t imagine them playing with him the way they were playing with each other.

Taehyung slid into her legs as he failed to skid to a stop in time, and she watched him roll onto his paws and shake off. He barked, tugging at her pants and whining when she only blinked. “Are you asking…”

He barked again more urgently, tilting his head at the others, who were all peeking over at them. “How would I join in?” She asked, genuinely curious.

Seokjin kicked snow with a foot, honking.

Squinting, (Y/N) watched him clumsily mold snow into a lumpy ball and then point at it with a wing. “You can’t really be asking me to have a snowball fight with you.”

Taehyung swooped down on Jin’s snowball and lobbed it as best he could, hitting Namjoon in the ear when Hoseok ducked. Namjoon growled, snatching up a mouthful of snow without bothering to mold it and trying to return fire.

Jin squawked as Taehyung hid behind him, refusing to abandon his living shield no matter which direction the penguin turned in.

Raising a brow, (Y/N) quickly made a snowball and threw it at the dog. He yelped as it hit his flank, his large blue eyes full of betrayal. Though it almost made her feel bad, (Y/N) grinned at him. “Sorry, sorry, but it was only fair, right?”

Namjoon took the opportunity to pile on, flinging another snowball he had made while they were distracting that Taehyung took under the chin.

The light tweeting Jimin did sounded suspiciously like laughter as the dog barked dramatically, picking up snow in his mouth and chasing his hyung with it.

The fast wolfdog ducked behind Yoongi, who nearly got bowled over by Taehyung. The big cat took that as his sign to join in, pinning the dog down and making him swallow the snow he was holding.

There was nothing but vindication in those sharp emerald eyes, and (Y/N) watched in interest as Hoseok brought a snowball he had made to her and then ruffed quietly. “Are you saying we should team up?” she whispered.

Jimin flew down and landed on the coyote’s head. “And you want to be on the team too?” He confirmed with a chirp. “Think we can really take them all on?” The two hybrids nodded in determination. “Alright, then let’s get some distance first. Come up with a plan of attack.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Heart pounding after his workout, Jungkook removed his boxing gloves, swiping his bangs from his eyes and grabbing for his water bottle. He had forgotten how good the burn of his muscles after an extended session in the gym felt.

The rabbit hybrid sighed, not hearing any sounds in his vicinity, and guessing everyone must be downstairs. He shuffled into the hall’s bathroom and began to strip out of his sweaty workout gear.

Better to get clean now before Jin-hyung caught a whiff of him later and complained. Besides, sometimes a warm shower helped loosen up the sore muscles and made the whole post-workout come down feel even better.

Adjusting the water to the right temperature and waiting patiently, Jungkook glanced in the mirror. He looked at the circles beneath his eyes, and touched a piece of hair that had fallen into his face.

It’d been a while since his last official haircut. Gramps used to give them himself, but once they got older and started to complain about wanting to look more fashionable, he began taking them into town for a professional to do it. Lately, Jungkook had been thinking of growing it out though.

Maybe his bangs could use a touch up, but the ends of his hair feathered past his ears, just the way he wanted it. His floppy, velveteen ears could use some attention and grooming as well.

They had always been soft and silky to the touch, according to his family. But Jungkook could tell the difference. Dragging himself to shower every other day or so for the last week meant the texture had fallen below his usual standards. To him they felt oily. Nothing a quick shower couldn’t remedy now, though.

He lathered his hair in the lightly scented shampoo already there, letting the water run over his muscles and trying to piece together what had happened downstairs.

So, while he was alone in Gramps room, Taehyung had met (Y/N). A human girl from the park nearby. She was…pretty normal, except the having magic part. If it were any other time, he might be kind of intrigued, but he was still put out by how she had come to be in their house.

When she left, he would talk more about it with his hyungs, and they would reassure him that no one would be allowed to come in and join their family so suddenly. Especially not some silly girl from the park. Everything would be alright…

Eventually, his shower concluded, and he made the short trip down the hall to his bedroom. It had been a while, Jin or someone else normally bringing a change of clothes for him to Gramps’ room.

So he was unprepared by the unfamiliar scent that buffeted his nose as soon as he walked in. He took a sniff and his nose instantly crinkled. What…was that? Who was in his room?! The last sheets were off the bed, bagged up and ready for the laundry. A clean set had been put on tidily in their place.

But Jungkook could practically taste it in the air. That new scent. (Y/N).

They really let her use his room? All his hyungs knew how sensitive he was to scents.

Technically, all hybrids were scent-sensitive, but having spent his early life the way he had, it was particularly amplified in Jungkook’s case.

Sliding on some clean clothes quickly, the bunny hurried to his bedroom window and wrenched it open. The crisp winter air flowed in immediately, sending a chill down his neck. Relieved, Jungkook stuck his head outside and breathed in the clean mid-morning air with his eyes closed.

Nature smelt so good. The world was blanketed in a soft layer of snow, on the fencing separating the path from the fields and the roof of the barn and even on the shed way out by the lake. It was probably frozen. Jungkook squinted out in that direction, seeing several figures darting around, seemingly having a great time.

A fond memory surfaced, Gramps taking his hand and leading him out onto the ice, teaching him how to skate when he was very small. Then Taehyung came sliding into them, and everyone went spinning across the ice like newborn foals.

Come to think of it…someone had poked their head in the gym and told him they were going out to play in the snow for a little while, and that he was welcome to come along. But Jungkook had been so focused on his workout, it really hadn’t registered.

Hesitating there at the window, he watched the four-legged creatures bounding around each other, able to make out most of his hyungs. Jimin was impossible to spot from here if he was shifted, though.

Joining in did seem tempting. He was still hurting, of course. That was unlikely to change soon. But Gramps wouldn’t want him holed up inside all day. Maybe it was fine to get out, get some fresh air and enjoy the company of the others…

All those thoughts came to a crashing halt when he made out an extra figure, up on two legs and running amongst the animals in the snow. Wait, was that…?

(Y/N) again. Didn’t she go home already? For a second, Jungkook contemplated not even going out there. Avoiding her until she left seemed like the best bet.

Then, he thought about the fact that he was letting some new person who wasn’t even staying keep him from spending time when his hyungs, and he had missed them.

Defiantly, he went digging in his closet for a warm hoodie and his snow boots.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Laughing, (Y/N) went down hard, falling to her knees and placing her arms over her head. It didn’t stop the onslaught. She was repeatedly pelted from behind by sizable snowballs, the hybrids having gotten quite good at making them without hands.

Hoseok brushed by her, barking, darting around Namjoon and distracting him with seemingly innocuous play. At some point the strategy had kind of fallen apart, and they were improvising.

Though that meant it was hard to tell who was winning. She, Hoseok and Jimin had taken the others by surprise, but not for long.

Who knew they would have such a vicious competitive streak? Except maybe Yoongi. Kind of just seemed like he was only riled up because he kept getting pelted every time he tried to shuffle off to the side and watch.

“Tactical…” (Y/N) said through her giggles, “retreat!” She went crawling away, dragging herself to the shed with the hopes of getting a moment’s reprieve.

Her cheeks had to be as red as a cherry by now, and her throat burned a little from rapidly inhaling the cold air. Even her fingertips felt a little numb, despite the borrowed gloves. Still, it was the most active she had been in a while, and the game was a lot of fun.

Lurching up on her hands and knees, (Y/N) dove behind the shed, taking cover (and the opportunity to catch her breath) with a grin. She wiped some slush from her eye, peeking behind her to see Hoseok trying to dodge the opposing team and join her, with Jimin’s little body no where in sight amidst the larger hybrids and snow flying everywhere.

Hopefully he was safe and up high. (Y/N) sighed, wondering if she should be planning a rescue, barely containing a startled squeal when she nearly came nose to nose with a very…large…rabbit.

Its black nose twitched, and the big golden brown eyes watched her steadily. The animal was what (Y/N) would most certainly class as ‘a unit’—a wall of muscular fluff. She’d never seen a lop-eared bunny so big and defined. “Um, hello…” she whispered, “Did you come to see what was going on?”

The rabbit eyed her down, unmoving and somehow, unamused. A loud growling-bark sounded from just behind her as Namjoon tumbled from a well-timed push, and (Y/N) moved to protect the smaller animal on instinct. Big bun or small bun, she still didn’t want him squished.

What she hadn’t counted on was the rabbit reacting like it did the minute her hand moved to bring him in close to her chest.

(Y/N) hissed, immediately retracting her hand, eyes widening as her fingers throbbed where his teeth had sank into them through the glove. She didn’t think he’d broken skin, but his powerful little jaw had moved quick as lightning with a warning bite.

He turned his back to her, his long back legs kicking snow in her direction, and the action felt almost scornful. Then he hopped away, out into sight of the others, who stopped and made excited cries as if to welcome him to their game.

‘Duh, of course that’s Jungkook.’ (Y/N) winced, easing her glove off to inspect her hand. ‘I probably overstepped just now. I wouldn’t want a stranger touching me without warning either.’

There was a light tap on her shoulder, and (Y/N) twisted her body to see Jin towering over her. He honked, tilting his head and appearing puzzled. “Are you asking me if I’m okay?”

His sleek head bobbed.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said hurriedly. “I guess I’m tired. That was a long, intense game, right?

Taehyung trotted over, dipping his head as he studied her and then whining loudly. “Let’s say your team won, huh? That was fun. Thank you. I think I really should get going though. Gotta check on my car and all.”

Shaking himself off, the dog ran into the shed with a loud crash. “Wait,” she heard him shout from inside, voice echoing through the cracked door. “I’ll get dressed and walk with you.”

More hybrids walked into the shed, (Y/N) heard a chorus of voices and some light squabbling. “Don’t you think you’ve clung to her enough already? One of us could also walk her back.”

“But!”

“I think one of us tagging along is a good idea. Taehyung would just stall on purpose.”

(Y/N) inwardly smiled. However short her time had been with them, they had made her life more lively than it had been in a while.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The crunch of the snow beneath her feet felt extra noisy. In comparison, her two escorts were silent as they all reached the parking lot. (Y/N) found there wasn’t anyone around, and no other cars left unclaimed, so it was easy to spot her vehicle, half buried under a mound of accumulated snow, but intact.

Huffing, she marched over, careful not to trip, digging out her key and unlocking the driver’s side door. “Well. This is my ride.” She told the two hybrids, smiling gently. “Thank you for seeing me back safely, and for hosting me too. I wish there was some way to repay your generosity.”

“It was the least we could do.” The older hybrid gave a single rough pat to Taehyung’s head, “Don’t mention it.”

The dog stepped forward, bangs falling slightly into his wide blue eyes, “So this is goodbye?”

“Uh, well…for now?” (Y/N) stammered, unsure why she felt so overwhelmingly guilty. “But you know, maybe not forever.” She extended a hand toward him, “You’re a nice guy, Taehyung, and you’ve got a good family. No matter how it happened…I’m glad we met.”

After staring at her hand, he slowly grasped it, giving it a firm squeeze. It wasn’t quite a handshake, but a parting offer of comfort. Sadness flowed through the touch, but not like she had felt before. It was touched with…hope. “Take care of yourself, okay? And don’t approach just anybody eating a hamburger on a bench anymore.”

A faint smile tugged at his lips briefly, “You take care too, (Y/N).”

Leaving Seokjin and Taehyung in her rear view mirror felt a lot like abandoning an opportunity to finally have some new friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hold him steady!” One of the zoo staffers yelled. Several grown men groaned and grunted as they wrestled with the belligerent kangaroo (Y/N) was supposed to be seeing.

The feisty animal twisted, eyes screaming murder as he managed to smack one of the people restraining him with the thick tail attached to his backside. Before (Y/N) could get any closer he had broken free with one mighty kick, leaving the poor zoo keeper dazed and sprawled on the ground, clutching at his ribs.

She winced, hoping he would be alright. “Tae-hui,” she called. “Please stop. I know we’ve never met, but I’m here to help.”

The kangaroo was clearly still rearing to go given his body language and the way he was bouncing around, so (Y/N) dared not press her luck until she saw if she got through to him.

Why couldn’t all animals in need be as easy to work with as Jilju? The horse had just needed some patience and understanding words, and she was compliant by the end. Thinking of her last encounter using her gift outside of work brought back memories of the farm.

And the boys.

How were they doing now? Was the grief of losing someone so dear to them any better, or just ramping up? It had been about a week, and she still regretted not at least suggesting they keep in touch.

Then again, what if they didn’t want to? How could she explain she was lonely and desperate for companionship? They might think she was a pushy creep.

“Yah!” Someone yelled.

Tae-hui was coming her way, someone comically trying to hold him still again with the kangaroo paying no real mind. (Y/N) braced herself, ready to get out of the way if needed. Just another day in the life for her…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lips twisted lightly, (Y/N) used her thumb to scroll down the page pulled up on her phone, trying to check what ingredients the recipe called for while steering the shopping cart. The last thing she wanted was to run over anyone’s toes in her quest to try cooking pad see ew. It was worth expanding the palette every now and then. Or maybe even she was tired of her own cooking and needed something new.

Either way, (Y/N) was determined to give it a go. If only she could find what she needed. “Did they change the store’s layout around?” she mumbled to herself. “The noodles should have been on that aisle I just passed…” Continuing on, she did manage to find and grab some of the sauces the recipe called for. A few evening shoppers also milled about, (Y/N) passing an older woman deliberating over two brands of soup, an impatient youngster standing near by. “Halmoni,” the boy sighed, “My feet hurt. Can we please have dinner?”

“Ssh,” she hushed absently, waving a hand without looking at her grandchild.

Quietly walking by them, (Y/N) reached the end of the aisle, veering her cart sharply to avoid a store clerk who was mopping up a spilled mess from a broken jar.

She heard the gasp in time to avoid running into the woman who was coming out of the aisle she was entering, a shopping basket dangling on her arm. “Oh, sorry.” (Y/N) mumbled. “Are you alright?”

The woman said nothing, making unnerving eye contact and then slowly squinting, “Wait…(Y/N)? (L/N) (Y/N)?” Heart skipping a beat at the recognition, she tilted her head, trying to recall where the woman could possibly know her from.

“…Yes?”

“It’s me,” the lady gasped, moving a bit closer with a smile. “Gosh, how long has it been?”

“I…I don’t…”

“Do you really not recognize me?” She whispered. “It’s Choi Taeyeon.”

“C-Choi Taeyeon?” The name immediately elicited very vivid memories, some more pleasant than others. “I…” (Y/N) took a deep breath, pasting on a grin that was hopefully more excited than awkward looking. “It’s been so long. How are you?” Choi Taeyeon had once been her best friend. A proper greeting was the least she could do, right?

Finally having been acknowledged properly, she beamed, a pretty, gleaming white smile ringed in a blush shade of lipstick. Taeyeon’s stylish bob fell neatly around her shoulders, and her pink cashmere trench coat was cute and fashionable. She looked great.

In comparison, (Y/N) stood in her normal work attire: khaki pants and a polo-shirt, bundled up with a sweater and coat for layering. There was no dressing glamorous when working with animals. Who knew if she would be slobbered on, clawed at, peed around, or otherwise get dirty.

‘I probably look like a drowned rat!’ (Y/N) suppressed the urge to reach up and smooth down her hair.

“Busy as ever.” Taeyeon sighed, “I’m afraid it’s starting to show on my face.” Of course, it was just fake humility. They both knew she looked excellent. “I followed my dreams and moved to Busan to work a nice job at a news station for the last two years. Now I’m back in Seoul and I’ll be covering national events.”

“That’s awesome,” (Y/N) remembered when they would talk of their dreams together. Taeyeon had at first wanted to be a weather girl, but by graduation her sights were set much higher. “I’m not surprised.”

“What about you? What are you doing these days?” (Y/N) cringed inside, hoping they could politely go their separate ways after exchanging pleasantries. They hadn’t exactly parted ways on the best of terms… Once a painfully shy girl with a stutter, Taeyeon had hit it off for (Y/N), the class black sheep, in elementary school.

After all, they were both excluded in activities by their peers, or picked last, or avoided. Sensing a kindred spirit, (Y/N) eventually befriended Taeyeon, and they had stuck together from then on.

When her power surfaced for the first time, outside her father, Taeyeon was the first person she told. Months later anyway. Although they shared everything with no secrets between them, magic was not as usual anymore, and people who had it could face a variety of reactions from others. The last thing she wanted was for her closest friend to see her differently.

The guilt of hiding something from her unsuspecting best friend left a throbbing pain inside. When she finally felt ready to share the truth, Taeyeon had listened with fascination. Relieved that she no longer had to hide, (Y/N) never imagined the way it would all change when they reached high school…

“I’ve been…around. I work with animals.” She explained vaguely.

“Oh, that sounds like you,” Taeyeon giggled with a nod. “Same old (Y/N), huh?”

(Y/N) smiled weakly. “Yeah…same old me.” When could she be on her way? The longer she looked at Taeyeon the more she wanted to cry, all the memories rushing back. And that was not acceptable.

“Well. It was nice to see you,” Finally, that sounded like the end of a conversation if she ever heard one! “Maybe we could have a coffee date, catch up someti—”

Taeyeon stopped talking, mouth parting a little. (Y/N) quirked a brow, confused by her sudden awe. A large hand landing on her shoulder nearly made her jump, and she squealed, chopping at the stranger behind her, only to come face to face with a pair of bright blue eyes she had seen in her mind all week.

“T-Ta-Taehyung?” She breathed.

“(Y/N)!” The dog hybrid said, voice full of happiness. “I knew it was you. I told you it was, hyung.”

Jin and Hoseok were there too, both of them staring at her with surprise and then smiling. “How’s it going, (Y/N)?” Seokjin greeted, “Long time no see,”

“Y-Yeah,” (Y/N) was smiling so hard her cheeks hurt, almost forgetting all about Taeyeon still gawking behind her. “That’s crazy, running into you guys here.”

“We don’t normally shop here.” Hoseok admitted, “But the pup insisted,” he motioned to Taehyung.

“I told them this was a grocery store a lot of people go to on this side of the barrier, and maybe you shopped here too, so every time we need anything I ask to come here.”

(Y/N) gaped. “Y-You had no idea if I’d even be here tonight.”

“I had a feeling I’d get lucky,” he countered, pride twinkling in his eyes.

“U-Um,” Taeyeon shuffled into view, tugging at her coat. “You know them?”

She was looking at them like she was in the presence of celebrities, and it struck her then that they were all very good-looking. “Hi, I’m Choi Taeyeon.” Her former friend bowed.

Taehyung eyed her curiously, then turned to (Y/N), who shrugged uneasily. “I’m Taehyung.” He said. “Those are my hyungs,”

“Jin.” Seokjin nodded politely.

“Hoseok.” Hoseok put in.

Neither of them were acting as taken with Taeyeon as she was expecting. Since her transformation in high school, Taeyeon always had her pick of the boys wanting to date her.

“Well,” she fluffed her hair. “I’m an old friend of (Y/N)’s and I’m back in town for the first time in a few years. I was just suggesting we go for a coffee date, but maybe you’d like to join us?” She asked, her voice lowering into a subtle purr.

(Y/N) wanted to hide her face. All this and all she wanted was to get her ingredients and make dinner. Although she was over the moon that she happened to see the boys again.

“I’m sorry,” Seokjin apologized. “It’s not the best time for us to have social engagements. We recently had a death in the family and are still in mourning.”

“O-Oh!” Taeyeon gasped, “I’m so sorry! I didn’t…my condolences!” She slid a hand into her purse and took something out which she passed to (Y/N). A business card. “Let’s arrange something later (Y/N). I won’t hold you any longer.” She bowed, then waved with a cute smile at the boys. “Maybe some other time when things are better for you.”

(Y/N) blinked, hiding her surprise. When Taeyeon had finally walked away, it felt like all the tension went with her, and her shoulders slumped as she leaned into her shopping cart. “That was…exhausting,” she whispered, forgetting she was in the presence of beings with superior hearing.

“Yeah, we could hear your heart thumping a mile away.” Hoseok said sympathetically. “Are you alright.”

“Yes,” she said truthfully. “Now I am. Thank you.”

“Was she giving you a hard time?” Taehyung questioned.

“Not exactly…” (Y/N) thought of how to put it. “It’s just…we were old friends a long time ago and we parted ways not on the best of terms. I wasn’t expecting to see her here.”

“Friendships that end awkwardly can be tough,” Seokjin hummed. “Though it really is a pleasant surprise to run into you again. This one was sulking for days because he wanted to reach out to you but didn’t have your phone number.”

Taehyung reached into his hoodie, eyes bright and hopeful. “This time, can we exchange numbers?”

“Wait, really?” (Y/N) couldn’t believe it. He felt the same way she did. “You wouldn’t mind?”

“I told you that I like you, (Y/N).” The dog said patiently. “And Jiminie said you promised to be his friend, so why can’t you be mine too?” The accusing whine went straight to her heart, and before she knew it, she was handing him her phone.

Author’s Note: I promise Jungkook is a sweetheart. lol It’s just that he’s finally at the place in the mourning process where he comes up for air, and then there’s a big change shoved at him right away, so he’s a little overwhelmed and uncomfortable. And taking it out on (Y/N). Things do get better between her and our bunny boy (in time). Also a gentle reminder that if you change your handle, please let me know or me tagging you may not work! I tried my best, but some people’s blogs or gone or they just cannot be tagged now for some reason.

**TAGLIST IS CLOSED**:

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inthedayswhenlandswerefew · 1 year

Text

North To The Future [Chapter 1: Building A Mystery]

The year is 1999. You are just beginning your veterinary practice in Juneau, Alaska. Aegon is a mysterious, troubled newcomer to town. You kind of hate him. You are also kind of obsessed with him. Falling for him might legitimately ruin your life...but can you help it? Oh, and there’s a serial killer on the loose known only as the Ice Fisher.

A/N: This is a work of au fiction utilizing characters from HBO’s House Of The Dragon series. It will have humor, drama, angst, danger, bears, bars, boats, boy bands, blizzards, dogs, 90s nostalgia, and lots more!

Chapter warnings: Language, lowkey sexual tension, alcoholism (obvi), poor life choices, minor injury to an animal but he’s totally fine.

Word count: 3.4k.

Link to chapter list (and all my writing): HERE.

*** I’m going to tag like a bazillion people since this is the first chapter of a new fic, but I WILL NOT TAG YOU AGAIN unless you ask me to. I hope you are all doing well, wherever you are in the world. 🥰😘 ***

@aemcndtargaryen @crispmarshmallow @tclegane @daddysfavoritesexkitten @poohxlove @imagine-all-the-imagines @nsainmoonchild @skythighs @bratfleck @thesadvampire @yor72 @xcharlottemikaelsonx @loverandqueenofdragons @omgsuperstarg @endless-ineffabilities @devynsshitposts @vencuyot @ladylannisterxo @cranberryjulce @abcdefghi-lmnopqrstuvwxyz @liathelioness @mirandastuckinthe80s @haezen @fairaardirascenarios @darkened-writer @weepingfashionwritingplaid @signyvenetia @crossingallmine @burningcoffeetimetravel @yummycastiel @lol-im-done @lovemissyhoneybee @nomugglesallowed @witchmoon @yoshiplushie @torchbearerkyle @sweetashoneyhoney @quartzs-posts @lauraneedstochill @nctma15 @queenofshinigamis @rapoficeandfire @hinata7346 @curiouser-and-curiouser-fics @meadowofsinfulthoughts @imjustboredso @unabashedlyswimmingtimemachine @myspotofcraziness @bregarc @mikariell95 @doingfondue @justconfusedperiod @mommyslittlewarcriminal @graykageyama @elsolario

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“He’s going to hit the mailbox,” Jennifer says. She’s peering out of the window with her hands cupped around her eyes like goggles. “He’s going to hit it…he’s going to hit it…” There is a snapping sound, a crunch, squealing brakes. “Mailbox down.”

It’s mid-November and nearly 4:00 p.m., so it’s pitch black outside except for the dim, sepia luminescence of streetlights. Blazing high-beams skate across the window. Jen steps back, blinking.

“Who is it?” you ask.

“I don’t know. Some guy in a green Nova.”

A Chevy Nova? Front-wheel drive? Not advisable. Almost everyone here has an SUV…or, better yet, a pickup truck. Outside, the high-beams die and a car door slams. Five seconds later, he bursts into the lobby carrying a massive golden retriever. There’s blood all over the dog’s head and chest, drying clumps snared in his fur; still, his tail is wagging. It starts wagging harder when he sees you.

“You’re a vet, right?” Nova guy asks frantically. He’s wearing a black turtleneck sweater, a red flannel shirt, light-wash Levi’s, and black Converses. Another bad choice; he should have boots. “I saw the sign outside.”

“I sure am.” You point him to the exam room. “Right this way.”

Nova guy staggers through the doorway and heaves the golden retriever up onto the high metal table. Jen follows you both into the exam room with a clipboard to record her notes. She is the all-purpose assistant and your sole employee. The veterinary clinic is otherwise empty; your last appointment—a routine and uneventful checkup of Mr. Sullivan’s cantankerous tomcat Biggie Smalls—ended twenty minutes ago. You begin to evaluate the golden retriever. He has a laceration on his muzzle, but seems otherwise unharmed. His tail is still wagging. Head wounds bleed a lot and can thus incite disproportionate panic. Oftentimes, they aren’t half as bad as they look.

“You can fix him, right?” Nova guy pleads. There’s a streak of tacky crimson blood on his cheek, you notice now. “A bear got him. Clawed him, I think. I let him outside when I got off work, and next thing I knew I turned around and he was chasing off a bear. A goddamn bear. Like a huge bear. A Smokey Bear bear.”

“Yes,” you say, amused. “We have bears here.” Then you add: “Your dog is going to be just fine.”

“Oh, thank God,” Nova guy exhales, clutching his chest. You numb the golden retriever’s muzzle with lidocaine and begin disinfecting the wound with povidone-iodine solution.

“What’s his name?” Jen asks. She is busily jotting down notes.

“Sunfyre.”

Jen pauses, pen hovering in mid-air. “Sun…fire…?”

“Sunfyre,” Nova guy repeats irritably. “One word. With a Y.”

“…Where is the Y…?”

“In fire.”

Jen frowns down at her form as she fills in the letters. “Why would you spell fire with a Y?”

“To make him more awesome, obviously,” Nova guy murmurs. He leans down to rub the golden retriever’s shaggy ears and wobbles as he does. Sunfyre’s tail thumps on the exam table. “You’re gonna be okay, buddy. Yes you are. You’re gonna be just fine, the nice vet lady says so.”

You catch a whiff of him, dark bitterness and sweetness and spice: rum, a lot of rum. “Did you drive here drunk?”

He narrows his eyes at you. They’re bleary and royal blue. “Maybe.”

“It’s like 4 p.m. on a Monday, why are you drunk right now?”

“I’m sorry, are you a people doctor? Because I thought I came here so you could fix my fucking dog.”

“He’s getting fixed,” you assure the man calmly. You’re accustomed to dealing with rather unhinged pet owners. To some people, animals are like children; and you wouldn’t expect someone to act rational if their kid was lying here bloodied from a bear attack, would you?

“How old is he?” Jen asks.

“I don’t know, like, young?”

“About five,” you say, checking Sunfyre’s teeth. Then you begin suturing. Nova guy moves to pet the dog’s side to give you more room to work; Sunfyre is so relaxed he’s nearly dozing. “Has he had his rabies shots?”

“Yeah, he’s had them, he…” The man pats his jeans pockets. “Oh shit, I mean I don’t have the paperwork with me or anything, but I know he’s good because he got vaccinations in San Francisco and that’s the last place we were. Less than a year ago. Like eight months tops.”

You raise an eyebrow. “Are you sure? Because this is important.”

“Look lady, I don’t even know if I’m up to date on my shots, but I know for a fact he is.”

“Okay,” you concede.

“What’s your name, sir?” Jen asks Nova guy, relieved in anticipation of a nice simple human answer: Jason, Michael, Daniel, Brian, Steven.

“Aegon,” he says.

“…Aegon?!”

He glares at Jen with a dreadful sort of resignation, as if he’s repeated this moment a thousand times in a thousand different universes. “It’s Greek.”

“You don’t look Greek.”

“You don’t look like a genealogist.”

Jen recoils and continues her notes. She has a point: Nova guy—Aegon, you mentally amend—has pale sunless skin, dark semi-circles under his eyes, hair so light a blond it’s nearly pure white. Jen begins her next question tentatively, like she’s afraid to ask. “Last name?”

“Targaryen.” And then he adds: “Also Greek.”

She stares at him. “Tar…?”

He sighs. “T-A-R-G…”

As they go back and forth—again, Jen is baffled by the placement of a Y—you instinctively glance up at the flier on the wall. The police have plastered them across every business in town: Report suspicious activity immediately! Beware of strangers! Help keep Juneau safe! The words are bright red beneath the sketch of a menacing, scarlet-eyed specter in a trench coat. The first body was found almost exactly a month ago. The second was found two weeks after that. You and Aegon catch each other looking at the flier and then pretend you didn’t.

You finish stitching and give the golden retriever an encouraging pat on the head. His tail thuds rhythmically against the table. “Alright, Sunfyre is good to go. I’d like him to stay one night so I can put him on an IV just in case. And he’ll have to wear a cone until his stitches come out. Your total is $300.”

“$300?!” Aegon exclaims. “What are you gonna put in the IV, cocaine?!”

“Antibiotics,” you say. “And they had to be shipped in from Seattle.”

“Jesus Christ. Okay, Pablo Escobar, hold on, hold on…” He pulls crumpled dollar bills out of his tattered leather wallet. “I’ve got…fifteen…uh…sixteen…” He starts counting quarters.

“Jen can write you up a bill,” you offer.

“Oh, yeah. Great.” He replaces his cash with palpable relief. “I can pick him up tomorrow?”

“Anytime after noon.”

“Cool.” He plants a loud smacking kiss on the crown of Sunfyre’s head. “I’ll see you soon, buddy.” Then he lurches out into the lobby. You tell Jen to put Sunfyre in one of the kennels and bolt after him.

“You can’t drive home like this,” you tell Aegon, horrified.

He whirls. “…Why?”

“Uh, because you’re drunk?!”

He drums his palms against the front door and groans dramatically. “I’m not gonna hit anybody. There are like six people in this whole town, I live ten minutes away, what’s gonna happen?”

“You can’t drive home,” you insist.

“I’ll go super slowly.”

“Don’t make me take your keys. I’ll do it.”

He throws up his hands, exasperated. “Fine. I’ll walk.

“It’s dark, it’s 30 degrees outside, you’re not even wearing a coat. You could get lost and freeze to death. Or eaten by a bear.” Or murdered by the Ice Fisher.

“Lady, what do you want from me?!”

You grab your parka off the coatrack. “I’ll drive you.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously. Jen can watch Sunfyre and I’ll start his IV when I get back.”

Aegon considers this, considers you. He’s not suspicious; he’s more…how can you describe it? Caught off-guard. Out of practice. “Okay,” he says finally. “Oh. Also.” He scratches his chin, avoiding your eyes. “I think I ran over your mailbox.”

“That’s fine. My dad will fix it.”

“Your dad?”

“Yeah, he lives next door. He’s recently retired and always looking for new projects. You might have done him a favor, actually. Saved him from a night of Dateline and Buffy The Vampire Slayer.”

Slowly, cautiously, Aegon smiles. “Happy to help, I guess.”

Your Jeep Cherokee is brand new. It has grey upholstered seats, cupholders, a Starfleet Academy bumper sticker, and automatic windows. The license plate is blue and embossed with Alaska’s state motto: North To The Future. There’s a Sarah McLachlan tape in the cassette player. Heat blasts through the vents; Building A Mystery tumbles out of the speakers. Aegon tells you that he’s renting a place downtown near the harbor and gives you vague, generally unhelpful directions. You listen as he speaks, of course, but you study him too, as much as you dare to without being too obvious, stealing rapid-fire glimpses. He talks with his hands a lot: clasps them together, touches his face, gestures lethargically, runs his fingers through his hair. There’s a lock that keeps escaping from behind his ear to rest on his right cheek, the one with the bloodstain. You have this strange compulsion to tuck it back into place.

“Cupholders,” Aegon remarks as you pull out of the small gravel parking lot, banging his fist on them. He has a British accent, but it’s diluted somewhat, understated. “Nice.”

“Yeah. I hate to tell you this, but the Nova was a really bad idea. You’re going to be snowed in half the winter.”

“Fantastic,” he quips. “I just bought the cheapest thing I could find when I got here.”

You peek over at him. Streetlights illuminate the bruise-like shadows under his eyes, the height of his cheekbones. “Your people don’t usually stick around this late in the year. Tourist season is over.”

“I’m not a tourist,” Aegon replies with a crooked grin, and does not elaborate. And then, when your Jeep rolls to a stop outside his apartment building: “Look, I know this is super random and all, but…like…” He stalls. “Can I get you some hot chocolate or something? I happen to be an aficionado of truly exceptional hot chocolate.”

“Oh, really? Homemade?”

“Swiss Miss,” he says. “But I have a secret ingredient.”

“I’m really not interested in getting roofied this evening.”

He laughs. “The secret ingredient is not roofies. It’s French vanilla coffee creamer.”

You hesitate. The words from the flier blare in your skull like a neon sign: Beware of strangers! Help keep Juneau safe! “I really shouldn’t.”

“I’m not gonna murder you,” Aegon says with probably too much bluntness. He starts turning out all his pockets. “You can search me, I got nothing on me except my wallet and keys. I just…well…” He smirks guiltily. He is sobering up. “I feel like I made a really bad first impression.”

“You definitely did.”

“And I want to make up for that because you helped my dog and everything. And now you’re helping me. And I just don’t want you to think I’m a horrible person.”

“Are you?”

“What, a horrible person?”

“Yeah.” You’re only half-joking.

Aegon doesn’t appear to be joking at all. “I think I’ll let you figure that out for yourself.”

You should go back to work. You should definitely go back to work. You should definitely not follow this weird drunk man up to his apartment. “Okay, but I can’t stay long. And I’ll ask you to remember that Jen has your full and highly unusual name and is more than capable of telling the cops that you’re the last person I was seen alive with. So it is in your best interests not to murder me.”

“Deal,” he says, and scrambles clumsily out of the Jeep.

Aegon’s apartment isn’t even a one-bedroom; it’s a studio with a couch and tv at one end, a bed at the other end by the windows, and a practically microscopic kitchen. As he bangs around in the cabinets locating a pot and two mugs, you admire his collection of refrigerator magnets. They represent a kaleidoscope of American cities: a dolphin from San Diego, the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco, a blue crab from Baltimore, a boiled lobster from Portland, a gold nugget from Denver, a cowboy on horseback from Dallas, the Sears Tower from Chicago, a cactus from Phoenix, a pair of dice suspended in glittery pink liquid from Las Vegas, many more.

“You’ve been to all these places?” you ask, awed in spite of your explicit intention not to be.

“Yeah. I found Sunfyre in Phoenix. That was three cities ago.”

“Found him?”

“Wandering emaciated and terrified on the side of a highway.” He’s stirring the pot over a red-hot electric burner. On the counter wait two mismatched mugs: the blue one is bigger, but the green one is more opulent, gilded with tiny gold stars. “You ever been outside of Alaska?”

“I got as far as Colorado for vet school.” Not far enough, you almost add. “How long have you been here?”

“Seven weeks. No. Eight.”

“So you’re the Ice Fisher.”

He tosses back his head and cackles wildly. “You are not the first person to think it, but you are the first to ask.” His smile dies and he looks at you directly, deadly serious. “No. I’m not the Ice Fisher.”

For some reason, you believe him. “Why Juneau?”

“Because it’s really, really far from Miami.”

“What’s in Miami?”

“Beaches. Bikinis.” You stare at him, waiting for further explanation. He stares back, offering none. He returns his attention to the hot chocolate. “I’m here for the winter trolling. Chinook salmon.”

“So only six months.”

He nods. “Only six months.”

“Where are you going next?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t decided yet. Maybe I’ll let Sunfyre pick. I’ll dip a bunch of travel postcards in peanut butter and see which one he eats first.”

“So you just bounce around like that? Constantly? Perpetually?”

“Yeah.”

“It never gets lonely? You don’t miss anyone? Family, friends…?” A girlfriend? A wife? Five charming white-blond children?

“No,” he says flatly. He yanks open the refrigerator and pulls out a small glass bottle with a yellow label: 99 Whipped, Whipped Cream Liqueur, 49.5% ALC/VOL. He holds it up to show you, to offer it to you.

“No, I’m good, thanks though.”

“You sure? It’s whipped cream flavored.”

“I’m majorly sure.”

He unscrews the top with his teeth and takes a swig. Then he dumps the rest in the green mug. He flicks open a cabinet, produces a jar of French vanilla coffee creamer, and scoops a generous amount of the snowy powder into both mugs. He lifts the pot of hot chocolate from the stove and empties it into the mugs like molten metal into molds. He stirs the contents: separate spoons, oddly considerate. You move to take the blue mug, but Aegon stops you.

“Not quite yet,” he says. He rummages around in the refrigerator until he finds a can of whipped cream. He tops off both mugs with a fluffy white swirl. “One last thing…” He grabs a Hershey bar from the freezer and a flat metal cheese grater from a drawer. He leans over the mugs and—with startling, painstaking, somehow vulnerable care—shears just enough chocolate off the bar to dust the whipped cream with fine dark shavings. He passes you the blue mug and grins triumphantly. “You have to freeze the chocolate or it’ll melt when you try to grate it. A girl showed me how to do that.”

“Wow. You’re literally Martha Stewart.”

He is waiting for you to take a sip. You do. The hot chocolate is, in all honestly, ridiculously good: rich, creamy, smooth. He sees this on your face. “Told you.”

“Maybe you’re not so horrible.”

“Don’t be hasty. The roofies haven’t kicked in yet.”

You stand in the kitchen together drinking hot chocolate under dull, flaxen lights; Aegon doesn’t own a table or chairs. Your gaze roams around his apartment and settles on a jade green, extremely battered electric guitar propped against the wall by his bed. “Do you play?”

He turns to look. “Oh, that? No, no way.”

“Why do you have a guitar if you don’t play guitar?”

He grins, holding his mug with both hands. Steam curls up around his face like fog, like smoke. “Makes chicks think I’m more interesting than I am.”

“And yet you told me the truth,” you say. “You are really blowing this.”

“Yeah, that sounds like me.” He slurps his hot chocolate and licks the whipped cream off his lips. There is a deep, not entirely unpleasant silence that descends over the kitchen. Still, you feel compelled to break it.

“You seem to like green a lot.”

“I guess so.”

“Why? Because it’s the color of money…or trees…or Subway…or Heineken…or…?”

“Or…” He contemplates this for a while before he decides. “Camouflage.”

The silence reappears, less comfortable this time. “I really do need to go,” you tell him. It comes out like an apology, a regret. “Jen is supposed to get off work at 5:00 and I don’t want to make her stay too late.”

He replies with an unexpected question. “You ever go to Ursa Minor?”

Ursa Minor? The little bar beside the harbor? No, never. Your best friend Heather has been trying to cajole you into going—her brother Trent is always asking about you or something—but you have yet to succumb to her peer pressure. You aren’t really a bar girl. You’re a stay up half the night comforting sad animals girl. “Yeah, totally, sometimes. Why?”

Aegon smiles, a little dazedly, a little pleased. “No reason.”

All the way back to the veterinary clinic, your brains are wrangling with Aegon: everything about him, parts you wish you didn’t care enough to notice. When you enter the lobby—along with a gale of ice-cold wind peppered with snow flurries—an incredulous Jen is waiting for you.

“You drove him home? Alone?!” She jabs an index finger at the flier on the wall, one of so many. “While that lunatic is still out there somewhere?!” The cartoonish figure in the trench coat leers at you with red eyes. They call him the Ice Fisher because of what he does with the bodies. He goes out to Dredge Lake, drills a hole in the ice just wide enough for the shoulders to fit through, shoves his victim down into the frigid water to wait there in the dark and the cold until they are brought up. He leaves blood smeared on the ice. That’s how the police found the bodies, how they’ll keep finding them.

You shrug. “He needed a ride.”

“He needs an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, that’s what he needs.”

You sigh loudly. “Thank you for your sage advice, Jennifer. You are free to go.”

“Yeah yeah. I’ll give the cops his name when you go missing. Tell them to look for the drunk white-haired loser with the Nova.”

More forcefully, you repeat: “Thank you, Jennifer.”

“Take a chill pill, I’m going.” She pulls on her parka and disappears out into the night. You stand in the lobby—in the silence, in the solitude—staring at the flier for a long time.

In one of the kennels, you find your lone current tenant. “Hey buddy,” you say to Sunfyre, using Aegon’s nickname for him, and the golden retriever perks up. You pet his silky fur (well cared for, you observe), ensure he has enough food and water, get him an extra blanket, and start an IV: antibiotics with a light sedative so he hopefully doesn’t manage to wriggle out of his cone. You’ll set a few alarms and get up throughout the night to check on Sunfyre…although your dad will almost certainly volunteer to do it for you. This clinic used to be his, after all.

Before you leave, you spend fifteen minutes sitting with Sunfyre: brushing his fur, humming to him, letting him lick your knuckles like wordless little thank you notes. Not for the first time in your life, you find yourself wishing that animals could speak as well as we do, could spill secrets like blood or falling snow.

“Interesting human you’ve got there,” you say.

Sunfyre, peering up at you with his trusting umber eyes, only wags his tail in reply.

#aegon ii targaryen #aegon targaryen #aegon ii #aegon x you #aegon targaryen x reader #aegon targaryen x you #aegon targaryen ii #aegon x y/n #aegon x reader #hotd fanfic #hotd imagine

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starrycassi · 10 months

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Meditrina — a nimona au.

They ran away.

Ballister took nimona, took his one and only friend in the whole world, and ran away with her. She agreed to do so, because it was too much. They were both tired and sore and hurt and the kingdom was not the place for them to get better

They would come back, someday, Nimona promised. If Ballister couldn't, then she would. Come back to the kingdom and tell them, tell them everything of someone was willing to listen. But a little break wouldn't hurt — some time, some time to rest, some time to lick their wounds.

They leave, and sneak out of the wall. They walk, and walk some more, and settle in a small village. It's called meditrina, and it's full of life and nice people and magic, and yes, there may be one or two murderous assassins around, but Ballister is still a knight at heart, and he invests his time in protecting the place, and Nimona is happy to follow his lead and maim some people on the way. They get a cabin in the middle of the woods. They go to the market every month and offer help where it's needed. It's a bit boring and draining, but they're both happy.

So it's not really surprising when, a year and something after they move in, there's a knock on their door. The villagers come by sometimes, asking for help, offering jobs, bringing gifts, or simply showing up to say hi. Nimona loved the kids, the kids loved Nimona, and no one seemed too keen on killing them — even if she refuses to stop changing in front of everyone and their mother.

What is surprising is who knocks on the door. He looks tired, and his hair is a long, tangled mess. He comes with teary eyes and bandages everywhere, pleading for forgiveness, asking for help. A dog keeps him company — a beautiful, big, golden retriever. It suits him, really. Ambrosius fucking Goldenloin, and his golden retriever.

#nimona movie #ballister nimona #goldenheart #nimona (2023)#nimona fanfic #ambrosius nimona #ambrosius goldenloin #meditrina au

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x-birdsong-x · 7 months

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overly specific house dog au headcanons? spill some?

I can try and fit in one post everyone I've settled completely on so far, and also be obnoxious about dog breeds. fun

I've also bothered @greghatecrimes with a lot of these so very big thanks to them for helping me settle on breeds for everyone <3

It's when I've settled on a "base breed" with dogs that sometimes things just go crazy and go from there

Start with the most overly unnecessarily detailed one here you go:

Adams is the oddest most fantasy mixed breed of ALL fucking time her parents are one Belgian Tervuren and one Borzoi x Ibizan Hound and she appeared so much Tervuren that it’s just possible to miss that she’s got any sighthound(s) in her.

She’s very pointy and very leggy but she is very long-furred and that's where the mistakes come from. She moves mostly with the gaits of her sighthound sides which the others find is an easy way to make her bristle. She’s prancing across the room and Chase says you move like a sighthound and she says no I don’t (yes she does)

Park is a Silken Windsprite:

Probably struggles in snow and sometimes has to jump and jump to get through it when it's really deep but Adams mumbles that it’s cute and that's Fight invitation. Park brings up that Adams gets snowballs stuck on her and that it takes hours to melt out of her fur. ("Fuck you!" - "Do it yourself!") It's probably fair to say she has some little dog syndrome.

Chase is an Australian Shepherd. House probably used to make comments about he and Cameron both being Merle:

Cameron is a Border Collie:

Probably does the Collie Crouch sometimes. Absolutely does the Collie Stare, and that would come into House's "you can't actually pierce me with your eyes" moments.

Foreman is a Central Asian Shepherd:

For a slight visual similarity to how I imagine post-Lockdown Angst Cameron might feel meeting Masters, Masters is a Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever:

Probably has what I call in the groomers "Smart Breed Anxiety" along with her autism swag. Dogs who listen to and seem to understand every word you say and if you're telling someone or another pet off for anything, they assume they're the one you're talking to and give all their guilty looks. Also using my Bluebear as reference with that visual.

Thirteen is a Utonagan!!! No other visual!!! Have such a canine visual of The Dig it's insane.

Wilson of course took Golden Retriever:

House is a Scottish Deerhound, mixed with what? He doesn't know. Wants to know. Very easy to miss that he's a cross:

(Little Rachel rode on his back for a bit once.)

Speaking of, Rachel is a little pupper Sheltie (Natalie) x English Shepherd (Simon) but she barely shows any Shep traits when it comes to looks:

Rachel's a mini-me of her mama, Cuddy took Rough Collie:

Kutner is a Springer Spaniel x Large Münsterländer, leaning more looks-wise toward the latter and leaning energy-level toward the former:

Taub is a Beagle, Chihuahuas are just too small for one of the main characters in my little visual I'm afraid:

Rachel is a long-haired Dachshund, and Ruby is a show-type English Cocker Spaniel, so Sophie and Sophia are those crosses respectively.

Amber takes (Red) Husky:

She's quite thick-coated but she definitely doesn't fall under "Woolly Husky" coat type.

Red (Irish) Setter Stacy:

Dominika... So This dog is obviously a Belgian Malinois maybe crossed with something fluffier, but she looks exactly like this:

Saluki Lydia:

#Added Taub 24/11/23 #Added Foreman 22/12/23 #Added Dominika 28/01/24 god isn't that dog gorgeous #added Lydia 09/05/24 went through some others but just got right back to Salukis #I'm a Big Dog person first sorry. Dog breeds get extended more than Cat-ified picks in my head #im blorbo-ing Adams. don't know why. spinning her in a microwave. she's everything to me #House #House MD #hatecrimes md #hate crimes md #i don't. remember which one i see most often

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jamiesfootball · 10 months

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hey, it's leverage anon back at it again! do you think roy and keeley crossed paths previously in this au, maybe on opposite sides of a job where roy was hired to protect something keeley was trying to steal (and keeley wins obvi)? or do you think they've only heard of each other through word of mouth and when they actually meet, it's like the spiderman meme with them pointing at each other like "ROY KENT???" "KEELEY???"

Oooohhhhh

I do think that at first it's in the same vein as Ted Lasso, where they know of each other, they've moved in similar circles for years, their names are all over London but they've just never had occasion to meet.

I think the spiderman meme comes screeching into play when they have a Rashomon Job moment where they both realize they foiled each other's heist going after the same golden scepter on the same night and they're both like, "THAT WAS YOU?!!"

In Keeley's defense she was undercover as a waiter so of course she was rocking her Bjork wig with the purple stripe so people wouldn't take a closer look at her face. And there was this guy there, a real proper intellectual type, with the glasses and the sweater, and the look he kept giving her! Piercing eyes, like they could see deep into her soul. She was so rattled that once she went into the vents to make her move, she didn't want to come back out!

In Roy's defense he was at a low place, making the switch from hitting to retrieval specialist, and his hair was like. So long. So curly. Bushy beard. And he was wearing glasses he stole from a guy in the car park (and busy cursing himself because fuck he might actually need glasses), and he had a cozy nerd sweater on so like. Everyone was looking but it wasn't because they were looking for Roy Kent, they were looking for a different reason, you feel?

Meanwhile Rebecca's like "you BOTH were trying to steal my ex-husbands tacky golden scepter under my nose? While I was trying to steal it?" And that confuses Ted because, "If you were already married to him, why would you need to steal it? It's technically yours at that point," and Rebecca is like, "Exactly. I was married to him, Ted. Of course I wanted to steal it."

Meanwhile Beard is just side-eyeing Jamie who ain't said shit.

And the longer Keeley, Rebecca, and Roy go round and round the only thing they agree on is there was this skinny little teenage kid at the museum like on a fucking field trip and he was annoying like he was just constantly underfoot no matter where they went-

"Oh, I know who you mean! He was rather sweet. Kept asking for a glass of champagne- cheeky little thing."

"Was that the one who kept wandering off from the pack? Insufferable. Every time I thought I had an opening, security would interrupt to tell me they found a child wandering into the cordoned off areas. By the time I had a chance to intercept the stupid sceptor, someone had replaced it with a champagne bottle."

No, he was fucking annoying and he dogging Roy's heels and asking Roy questions about Rothko and Hockney ("It's not about the composition. The colors are richer because of the depth of the layers" and "Because he's a twat," respectively). Roy finally thought he got lucky when he nudged the kid towards a buffet table and he started scarfing down food but then the kid almost choked to death and Rebecca does remember that actually she had to take him in the back so they could make sure his parents wouldn't sue have some medical doctor guest take a look at him.

And now Beard and Ted are both just looking at Jamie, and Ted has a bit of a smile on his face, and he's just like, "Jamie? Do you have anything you want to share with the class?"

Jamie winces and admits it was his one and only cyber heist - drawing up a fake school record to get in with a field trip, writing a little program that would temporarily disable the security cameras and motion sensors- he'd done it as a dare to himself to see if he could do it. And- "I never technically stole it. Got as far as stashing it in my school bag, and then the bag went missing. Lost my homework and everything."

And now it's Ted's turn to look apologetic, "Well I am awfully sorry about your homework, but let me tell you- that essay you wrote on Napoleon? Really good stuff. If I was your teacher, I'd have given you an A."

And that's the record scratch moment because Ted? Turns out he was the """medical doctor""" who volunteered to go with Jamie, but was actually there to keep an eye on things for his old security company.

Also they shouldn't beat themselves up to bad about losing because the scepter was a fake. See, once he found it ("in a highschooler's backpack no less!" "no, Ted, we don't call them that here") he got to thinking that the whole thing was mighty suspicious so he did what any normal midwest man would do if he thought he was being taken for a fool -- he called up a friend he knew who'd been to prison and asked if there was a way to tell if gold was fake.

"Lick it."

"Pardon?"

"Lick the scepter. If it's real gold you'll be able to tell."

"...Okay, but for the record I just want it to be acknowledged how much trust exists in this relationship."

And that's how they all (failed) to steal Rupert Mannion's (fake) golden scepter (what a twat).

#well this was long!#leverage au #actually a good little warm-up for getting in the writing mood today #thank you Leverage Anon!#I'd been wavering on how to put together a proper Rashomon Job style thing and this hit the right button

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juddygirl · 1 year

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Dog Training AU - Maxiel

Dog Training AU - Maxiel - 962 words

They were going to put Max's grandma's old golden retriever down after she passed. The poor thing had been neglected towards the last few months of her life. He is overweight and hasn't been properly trained. But Max couldn't bear the thought of knowing this dog would die just because no one was willing to put the time and effort into training him so he took him in.

Ghost weighs 47 kilos, hates being dragged on a walk at the park, chewed two of Max's pair of shoes and steals food from his plate when he's not looking. It’s only been two weeks, but he's already traumatized Sassy and Jimmy, they almost exclusively live under Max's bed now. On a whim, he looks at dog training classes, to bring peace back to his home.

You're doing something good, he hasn't been trained. He's not a bad dog. Max has to repeat this several times a day, he hopes he'll soon convince himself it's true, but he's running out of patience. He waits for Sunday, eagerly. Hopefully, the dog trainer will wave a magic wand over Ghost and fix his behaviour problems. Or just enough for Max to eat a meal in peace.

**********

Daniel doesn't know why he agreed to along with his friends in the muddy field on a cold Sunday morning. He should have stayed at home, warm under a blanket, or out with friends doing something quieter. Instead, he's there, his shoes are covered with dirt, or dog shit, he doesn't want to find out.

He has Shadow on a leash, she's a three-month-old puppy that Daniel gifted his girlfriend ex-girlfriend for their two-year anniversary. She had been over the moon about the little dalmatian he got her. She wasn’t so a month later when she broke up with him, and ended up kicking them out of her place.

He had to get back on his feet quickly, find somewhere to live with Shadow. He’d been too heartbroken to meet his new neighbours or even unpack half of his things. He has had enough energy to go on walks with her, avoiding other dogs in the street because he has always been scared of them. Shadow wants nothing but cuddles and play. She always destroys everything she can find and runs away whenever she can. So his friends suggested dog training classes to get that under control. He was the one to drag Daniel out of bed that day.

The class is about to start. All the dogs seem to be too happy to be here on this gloomy day. Daniel takes a couple of steps back anytime one comes close.

Max is late, well almost. It took half a pack of dog treats to get Ghost in his car. He’s thinking it will take twice as much to get him out and onto the field where everyone else is, but he jumps out of his seat and runs towards everyone. Max is too stunted to hold him back. He pushes a cute guy onto the ground. He looks scared of this massive dog, drooling on him, not understanding he doesn’t want to play. Max is so embarrassed he doesn’t want to go there and let everyone know it’s his dog.

Shadow barks at the big dog, not even scared that he’s twice her size. Daniel still doesn’t know if it means she wants to play or if she’s defending his honour, right now it’s in the gutter. He’s trying hard not to freak out, to let fear take over, but the more the dog is staring at him, the harder it is. He’s been told looking them in the eyes makes them angry, so he turns his face.

“Ghost!!” Someone shouts before pulling him off. “Oh my god, of course, I’m so sorry.”

He helps Daniel gets up, apologises again and the class starts.

It’s a disaster on Max’s part, Ghost refuses to listen to any orders, even those of the instructor. Shadow is doing better, a little too energetic and playful, but she stays put easily.

“Your dog can feel your fear. You have to let it go.” The instructor tells Daniel, not so discreetly. “We’re gonna make groups of twos.” He then says like he didn’t humiliate Daniel in front of everyone.

Daniel and Max ends up together, everyone else has already found someone. They introduce each other. Ghost tries to jump on Daniel again. He seems to really like him. The exercise isn’t going as bad as the other, and Daniel is not fearing Ghost anymore. He even chats with Max. They leave near each other, walk their dog around the same time. Daniel probably tried to avoid him because of his fear. Both their dogs get along the best, they are running after each other, or rather Ghost is trying to keep up with Shadow, but it’s progress, it’s the most exercise he’s had since Max got him, not for lack of trying.

“We should do this more often,” Daniel says when Shadow rests at his feet, exhausted.

Max agrees and gives Daniel his phone number to text him when he’s out on a walk with her. Daniel give him his, just in case. And just like that, the first lesson is over and they have to go back to their lives.

Daniel’s phone buzzes in his pocket. It’s a text from Max 🐶 a picture of Ghost, sleeping in his own little bed. I have to thank your dog for tyring him like that. First time since I got him that he didn’t destroy anything. Will gladly like to see both of you again. Daniel cancels his plan to self-pity, and invites Max and Ghost for a walk the very next day.

#sunday fic #juddyswriting #max verstappen #daniel ricciardo #maxiel #maxiel fic #alternative universe

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austinswhitewolf · 1 year

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Blue Eyes Baby Pt. 16

End of the filming of Elvis...

It was getting close to the end of filming, Austin had a bit of filming for The International scenes and today was a day they were using a black jumpsuit that had gold embellishments and a black and gold cape.

The energy Austin had that kept through each take all day amazed Gabe. She was sitting in his chair behind the cameras and just watched the magic that Baz was creating with the help of Austin. It was one of the last takes for today and when Baz yelled action, Gabe bopped along in the chair to the music. About just over halfway through the scene, Austin slid his leg out to dip low, and you watched him freeze. When he didn’t continue on, cut was called and Gabe tilted her head in confusion. It wasn’t like Austin at all to stop halfway through a scene like this. Austin shifted back up and moved off the stage, making sure to keep facing the crowd. Gabe hopped up from the chair she was in and moved over to where Austin disappeared. Baz was right behind her and when they both stepped to where the backstage of the scene would be, Austin was talking with Cathy and both were laughing. Gabe was now completely confused and was quick to slip up next to Austin and laced her hand with his. “Everything okay?” She asked, looking between Cathy and Austin, the confusion clear on her face. Both just laughed more, though Austin was able to calm down enough to speak. “Yeah… When I dipped, The pant’s split on me.” “What? Are you serious!?” Gabe asked, her eyes lighting up with laughter as she bit her lip. “Yeah. Cathy is going to have to work some magic to fix this.” He said, turning just enough so Gabe and Baz could see what he was talking about. Both just started laughing, Gabe pulled out her phone and was quick to snap a photo. “Babe, this is too good! I am so sending this to Ashely!” She said between bouts of laughter. “Dove!” Austin said in faux shock at her taking a photo, though that only lasted a few moments before he was laughing himself again. “Well I guess that is where I’ll call it for the day.” Baz said before he left to let the extras and everyone else know they could leave. “Dove, I would love to get changed into something more comfortable.” Austin said as he laced his hand with hers once again. Gabriel nodded and walked alongside him back towards his trailer so he could change. “Well you ended the day with a snap.” Gabe snickered. Austin rolled his eyes and looped his arm over her shoulder, her arm up over her chest, fingers still laced. “You could say that. Though it could have been a whole lot worse, that’s for sure. I’m just glad it was only the jumpsuit that ripped. Otherwise that would have been a completely different kind of show.” “Yeah, I am not willing to share that part of you with anyone.” Gabe said with a smirk, looking up at Austin. “I’d hope not. And you know I’m all yours.” He said while kissing her forehead. When they reached his trailer, Austin opened the door for Gabe. She stepped up, turned and gave him a soft kiss. “Love you Aus.”

“Love you too Gabriel.” With that, Gabe stepped into the trailer, Austin closing the door behind them and then started to remove the large belt from his waist. Gabe took it from him, laying it on the arm of the couch and then helped him with the cape which she draped over the back of the couch. Austin was quick to slip out of the boots before he started to shimmy out of the jumpsuit. Once he was stepping out of it, he felt Gabe’s fingernails scratch lightly over his back. A sigh and happy moan slid from his lips, a full body shiver taking over him. “That feels amazing, Dove.” Austin murmured out, his eyes closing in pure bliss. When she moved her fingers down to just under his shoulder blades, his body shifted back into her hands and she grinned.

All she could picture in that moment, was if he were a dog, he would be a golden retriever and his leg would be kicking so intensely. He tilted his head back, just feeling everything from the day drain from him. Gabe worked her way down his entire back slowly before sliding her arms around his waist, leaning her head on his lean back. Austin rested his arms over hers and gave her hands a soft squeeze. When she stepped back, Austin headed to the bathroom to shower off and Gabe took the outfit and ran it to wardrobe for Cathy quickly and was back before he was done. They got back to the hotel with enough time to go out for dinner together. They were seated in the back corner of the restaurant, more private and quiet for them. A few people would glance over but no one came up asking for a photo or anything.

The next few weeks were finishing up filming for the end of the movie and then the last week was spent doing any reshoots that were needed. On the last day of filming, they were at the Graceland set. Both Austin and Gabe loved this one, it was beautiful, quiet and so peaceful. When the end of the day rolled around, everyone was gathered around, and a cake was brought out. Some champagne was popped open and everyone cheered at the end of filming. Though it was bittersweet. Everyone had become family, a home away from home.

As everyone parted for the night, plans were made for breakfast the next morning before packing would start to be able to head home. When Austin and Gabriel got back to their suite that evening, they spent time just relaxing and curled up together. Gabriel had grabbed a book while Austin was just happy to lay with his head in her lap. When she started to run her fingers through his hair, he closed his eyes and smiled. “Read to me?” He asked softly, cracking his eyes open to look up at her. “Sure, I was just about to start one that I remember having read to me as a kid.” “You were read Grimms Brothers Fairy Tales as a kid?” He asked, blue eyes looking up at her around the book. “Yeah, I have always loved them.” Gabriel said before opening up to ‘The Singing Bone.’ As she began to read, talking about the two brothers, Austin closed his eyes again, relishing in her voice and her fingers in his hair. By the time she was halfway done with the story, Austin was sound asleep. Gabe smiled and continued to read for another hour or so before gently waking him up so they could go to bed and get more comfortable.

The following morning Gabe and Austin met up with Tom and his wife, Baz and Catherine, Olivia and a few others. There were lots of laughs and stories shared, numbers were traded that hadn’t been before. It was a sad moment when everyone started to split off to go pack their things to leave for home. As Austin and Gabe packed their things up, it was bittersweet. This had become home to Gabe, though she was excited to get to Austin’s, well now it was their house, back in Los Feliz. It took the rest of that day to pack everything up, and the following day they arranged a flight to get to LA. Between the two of them, there were three large checked bags, a carry on each, and then their backpacks. Their flight would be that evening, and they would fly through the night. Getting to the airport and their bags checked, Austin looped his arm around Gabe’s shoulder as they headed to the terminal they needed. Gabriel stayed tucked against him until they had to sit down and wait for the flight to board. They found a corner that had a few empty seats where they waited and watched the people. When their flight started to board, they were quick to get on. Austin had gotten them seats in first class so they had that extra room to not only be able to sleep but to have some more privacy. Gabe buckled herself in, and when Austin was settled in, she curled into his side, head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, kissed her forehead and then put an earbud in to listen to some music while they took off. Gabe was out by the time the take off safety instructions were finishing up and the plane started to move. Austin was asleep not long after that himself.

#austin butler #austin butler fic #austin butler fanfiction #austin butler fanfic #austin butler fandom #austin butler imagine #austin butler story #austin butler fan fiction #austin butler elvis #austin butler x ofc #austin butler fluff #austin butler soulmates #austin butler elvis 2022 #soulmates #soul mates #austin elvis fandom #elvis 2022

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daandyli0n · 7 months

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About He Came Back au... could you tell us a bit about the "missing" children once they grow up? We know about Gabe, Cassidy, and Charlie, but I'm a bit curious about the other kids! Love u and this au <3

aw, thanks man! yeah i have. Many Thoughts on these lil guys <3

so! they all kinda had to recover after y'know. almost getting murdered. but depending on what happened to them, they either took less or more time to recover (Cassidy took the shortest, Charlie took the longest, out of the main group). this only strengthened everyone's bonds.

now! onto the kids!

Susie:

- she becomes a dog mom :] she gets another golden retriever that she names Lucky II, after her first dog :] she has three dogs at any given time.

- she also adopts a child later on, and becomes a single mother (she's aroace). she names her daughter Clover, another reference to Lucky :]

- she gets into baking. she has shown up on her friends' doorsteps multiple times with either cookies or cupcakes. depends on the day. she works at a bakery.

- just a really bubbly and happy lady, despite everything. she's still got some sass, though.

Fritz (Jr.):

- his and Jeremy's bio parents get back together and he and Jere get a baby sister (Tabi)!! woo!!

- he gets sent to therapy for. a multitude of things: anger issues, the abuse he and Jeremy suffered from their stepfather, and The Incident.

- he mellows out after a few years, but he's still the brave, outgoing kid he was back then.

- they think his scars make him look more badass.

- Cassidy Introduces Them To Being Nonbinary, And He Could Not Be Happier.

- You Bet Your Ass That He Started Wearing A Pirate Eyepatch After Losing Their Eye.

- he is the guy that got Tabi into being a Foxy fan :]

- funnily enough, he grows up to be a child psychiatrist. he wants to help kids like him and Jere, y'know?

- they end up marrying a genderqueer person. good for him :]

- he's still very much into pirates (they're a special interest for them), and he makes that pretty clear. his therapy office has pirate related decor, sometimes he'll talk in a silly pirate voice to cheer kids up, and they still go to see Foxy shows at the Pizzeria. he doesn't care if the kids look at him weird, it makes him happy. :]

Jeremy:

- yeah, uh...he kinda lost his voice after Being Repeatedly Stabbed In The Throat. the doctors honestly thought he wouldn't make it.

- he learned ASL :]

- you thought losing his voice would stop his clownery at school? you fool.

- he got into playing guitar later on, and he owns a music store :].

- he teaches kids ASL when he goes over to the pizzeria to check on Gabe :).

- he confesses to Gabe in '94 by signing out 'I love you.' Gabe got real flustered.

- you don't wanna know how Overjoyed he got when he learned gay marriage got legalized. like, Gabe and Jere were just known as being unofficial husbands, sorta like how Cassidy and Charlie were known as being unofficial partners. but now!! they can Make It official!!

- he still has nightmares pretty often :(

Gabriel:

- he gets more confident over the years :)

- he gives the vibes of an awkward kid who felt embarrassed for being awkward and a lil goofy, but upon growing up just acts as silly and goofy as he wants. let him be a little silly and awkward!! the guy deserves it!!

- when he finally inherits the pizzeria after turning eighteen (long story: i have a hc about there being a Third business partner along with Afton and Emily, and this is Gabe's dad), he does really well, and gets along well with his customers. he is also the only person in Fazbear Entertainment, other than his father and Henry, who seems to have morals, because Jesus Christ.

- he doesn't follow the rule of Fazbear Entertainment where "We Are Not Liable For Anything Bad Happening-" because no!! tell him if something bad happened!! he wants to help fix it!!

- just a really sweet, goofy, and anxious man.

- he's also literally the only person besides Phone Guy (Daniel) who warns people about Afton (O'Hare/Springbonnie). because That's Kinda Some Important Info To Know.

- when Cassidy finally sealed Afton behind a wall, in a slightly illegal way, Gabriel promised not to say anything and also cover for them should word get out (he'd just claim that he asked them to do it).

- Freddy's is still open to this day, it's just moved locations around every few years or so.

- Gabe my beloved <3

the kids, when the og restaurant was still open, always felt uneasy about O'Hare after everything with Afton. is...is he really looking at them, or are they just being paranoid?

yeah, those are the kids i've spoken less about. Cassidy is on a quest to get rid of Afton once and for all, no matter the cost. Charlie is concerned for her partner, but willing to help where she can.

also, bonus!! The Afton Kids!!

they all have. Really Mixed Feelings on their father:

- Elizabeth feels kinda guilty about this whole thing, and really doesn't like thinking about it. she typically tries to change the subject if people talk about her father too much. she doesn't want to think about how her father tried to kill a bunch of kids, effectively because of her. as she's told Michael before, "If hadn't been so fucking stupid and actually listened to him for once, maybe none of this would've happened.." so yeah, she ain't doing well!

- Michael both hates his father for what he did, but can't help but miss him. regardless of the universe, Michael's got some Daddy Issues™️

- Adrian also doesn't wanna think about it too much, mostly because he can't wrap his head around why. it's also because of some weird, kinda traumatic nightmares where his father tries to reach out to him, but that's an entirely different post.

as far as Adrian's concerned, it's out of sight, out of mind. thinking about it brings up Bad Thoughts, and he'd like to Not have those, thanks.

but yeah. It's The Kids! minus Cassidy and Charlie, cause those two are practically their own post.

#fnaf #fnaf au #He Came Back au #fnaf missing children #< technically not 'missing' but you get the idea #fnaf charlie #fnaf afton kids #Dandy goes 'baa!'

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sanders-sides-sd-au · 1 year

Text

+ Introduction +

Well hello lady's, lords, and non-binary royalty! Welcome to the official Sanders Sides service dog au blog. I've seen some of these but they've often gotten discontinued so here's one from me.

Roman:

-18

-Counsler of the lion cabin

-Overdramatic as fuck

Has a medical alert dog for chronic migranes named Princess

-Princess is a red husky

-Wakes his campers up by walking into the cabin blasting Disney music

-Helped Thomas and Virgil renovate the conslers housing

-Good at horseback riding bc Disney prince vibes

-Constanly getting into playful arguments with Virgil

-Part of the no ‘sleep gang’

Patton:

-19

-Counsler of the couger cabin

-Virgils older brother

-Literally living his best life in this cabin in the middle of a fucking forrest

-Has a diabetic alert dog named Sunny

-Sunny is a golden retriever

-He really said “Hello dear brother, I believe a service dog would benefit you. I also need to start looking for a prospect. Wanna start researching?”

-100% has ADHD

. . .

Logan:

-19

-Counsler of the owl cabin

-Likes to take his cabin on nature scavenger hunts

-Smart as fuck

-Hearing impaired

-Has a service dog named Sherlock

-Sherlock is a border collie

. . .

Virgil:

-17

-Counsler of the coyote cabin

-Pattons younger brother

-Bitch got snatched as a child and never fucking recovered

-Has a physiactric service dog named Storm

-Storm is a long haired dutch shepherd

-Knew Remus had a twin but never actually met him

-If someones laying down on their stomach, he’ll literally sit on their back so they can’t get up. He does this to Thomas, Roman, and Patton the most

. . .

Remus:

-18

-Counsler of the weasel cabin

-A literal hazard to society

-Honestly has no clue how tf he became a counsler

-Has two of those hairless cats, and they are literally his children

-Romans twin

-Close friends with Janus and Virgil

-Lives to annoy Roman

. . .

Janus:

-19

-Counsler of the python cabin

-Has like six pet snakes

-Remus and Virgil are like his kids

-Wine mom energy

. . .

Thomas:

-19

-Counsler of the rabbit cabin -He’s chill compared to the others but still a menace

He keeps this little quote book with Patton so they can write down all the shit that the group says

. . .

Remy:

-18

-Starbucks bitch

-“Move I’m gay” energy

-That one counsler that everyone adores

-Always shows up late

-The bitch can literally sleep anywhere

. . .

I'll add shit as I continue writing.

#sanders sides #alternate universe #thomas sanders #patton sanders #janus sanders #virgil sanders #logan sanders #roman sanders #remus sanders #remy sanders #service dog

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darkhymns-fic · 2 years

Text

More Than Puppy Love

Well-known dog therapy organization, Altamira Pet Paradise, is getting a new volunteer! Colette is already drawn to the gigantic dog with the soft whines, his fur so soft that it was like magic.

She won't admit, just yet, she's also drawn to his owner with the kind smile.

Fandom: Tales of Symphonia Characters/Pairing: Lloyd Irving/Colette Brunel, Noishe, Sheena Fujibayashi, Regal Bryant, Zelos Wilder, Seles Wilder, Presea Combatir, Genis Sage, Raine Sage, Phaidra Brunel Rating: PG Word Count: 9991 (I know) Mirror Link: AO3 Notes: Written for Colloyd Week 2022, Day 3: Touch. The idea for this AU is all because of @youlighttheskyart who first put this idea in my head! This whole story very much ran away from me so I apologize for the length, but if you're looking for a detailed modern AU fic with most of the Symphonia cast, and just good dogs, then I hope you enjoy!

The new dog’s name was Noishe.

“Oh, is it a rescue, too?” Colette asked with a turn of her head. She was busy feeding a small beagle named Pippy from a bowl full of dry kibble, her little furry friend already more than halfway done. She scratched him behind the ears as reward for his very healthy eating. “We have been stretched a little thin lately…”

Her boss, who had shared with her the news, was also doing his share of their duties. He held several bowls of food in his arms, balancing them perfectly before he set them down to an eager, tail-wagging audience. Luckily, all were well-trained to not jump on him, or get greedy for another dog’s bowl for seconds. (Well, usually).

“From what it sounded like, it might be a rescue… but maybe the same can be said of the owner.” Most people wouldn’t look at Regal and figured him to be a dog-person. But even with his muscles always threatening to rip apart his t-shirt, he was more at home with the other dogs than at the gym. Colette noted it in the way he moved; how he’d always be gentle when picking up a small furry friend in his great hands to get it over a step or two, or how he’d carefully take a paw to clip their nails that had grown too long.

It took her a moment to ascertain his words just then, for Pippy was already begging for seconds and she was trying to calm him down. “The owner? What do you mean?”

“Ah, never mind. Just something I noted from his application, but I could very well be wrong.” Regal then proceeded to carry a calm golden retriever, her snout practically lifted in a smile as he did so. Fur got all over his shirt and jeans, as well as some in his usually somewhat messy hair, but he didn’t mind. “I need to give Sprinkles a bath now. Can you look after things in the meantime?”

“Of course!” She nodded, and just at that statement, a dozen or so dogs gathered at her feet, some already eager to be pet while others laid on the carpeted floors to be comfortable. She giggled at the sight, as well as at the feel of multitude of wet noses pressed against her leggings. “I have everyone here to help me.”

Regal gave her a proud smile. As he turned to leave, he then stopped and whipped around quickly. Tied blue hair, along with golden fur, swayed together from the motion, almost hypnotic in Colette’s eyes. “I almost forgot to mention, but Noishe and his owner will be joining us today, not next week. Can you be sure to greet them?”

Colette stilled in confusion. “Oh, uh, but then what’s the owner’s-?”

Sprinkles whined just then, a soft little keen that made the heart go soft, urging Regal to go back to his task. “Thank you, Colette,” he made sure to say before he left through a door in the facility, leaving Colette standing among the dogs in confusion. Small snuffles and a bit of tapping many paw pads echoed around the room.

She just wanted to know the name of Noishe’s owner…

At the Altamira Pet Paradise Therapy Center, dogs weren’t the only animals available for one to see on their visit, even though they were the most common.

Colette always had an affinity for dogs, but she showed just as much care to the few cats they had as part of their volunteer staff, as well as a colorful parrot, and even a few guinea pigs with chubby cheeks that could heal any soul. The majority of such animals were brought in by their owners to help with their volunteer work, depending on the time of day, or just which clients would be visiting the center; from eager schoolchildren to residents from the nearby senior home. She remembered how once someone had even brought in a horse – the sweetest horse that she had ever met, who liked their mane braided!

But today, it was just the dogs – and mainly Regal’s dogs at that. They numbered to a dozen, of varying sizes and breeds, like the giant golden retriever, Sprinkles, and the little terrier pup, Pippy (that Colette had named herself). It was a slow day thankfully, with only a few people needing the services of a friendly dog with even softer fur, and no outside visits scheduled. Their facility was a simple place too, with only a few divided rooms decorated with feel-good posters and such (“Have a fur-filled day!” said one with the photo of a happy puppy – both Regal and Colette knew they had to get it). Most of the dogs were separated from one another so as not to overwhelm people, or over excite the other dogs.

“Sheena!” Colette called out. She saw the familiar face who sat in a plush chair near the back door that led out to the garden, petting a certain orange-furred dog with both hands. “Everything going okay?”

“Oh, Colette,” Sheena gave a small wave, mixed in with a yawn. She must have had another late shift at her job, but even the tired bags around her eyes seemed to dim slightly when Corrine, the dog for her session today, pressed more strongly against her hands. “I’m fine. Heard you might be getting a new volunteer today?”

“Yep. But he hasn’t come by yet… I’m hoping he hasn’t got lost on the way here.”

“Ohh, so you know it’s a guy,” Sheena said with a grin – then paused. “Uh, wait, or did you mean the dog?”

Colette tapped a finger against her cheek. “Well, the dog’s name is Noishe… What do you think?”

“…I…honestly have no clue. What about the owner’s name?”

“Oh, that! Hehe.” She gently turned away another dog, Sebastian, from getting too close to Corrine, guiding him to a nearby nook where some dog toys were placed. “I don’t know at all.”

Sheena sighed – but whether from the answer, or from the feel of Corrine’s fur over her fingers, it was hard to say. “Well, good luck, Colette.”

“Thanks!” Sheena always told her that a lot. It was quite kind of her.

But even when Colette worried for the new volunteer – maybe they had missed the exit? Or did they change their mind at the last minute? Which would be quite sad, as Colette looked forward to another doggy helper – that same worry melted when she heard a large whuff! from the facility’s front door.

She was quick to jog over to it, but not too much! She didn’t want to make the other dogs think she was playing with them, so she mainly power-walked to the door that was already half-opening. “Hello! You must be-”

And what came through the door was the dog, which was, well….gigantic? Big pointed ears, with grayish fur that had a certain shade of green to it in a certain angle of the ceiling lights. With a whine, the dog moved forward, tongue lolling from its mouth.

Also, the dog’s height was just past her waist. If it had stood on its hind legs, it might have been even taller than her. She tried to guess the breed, but he seemed to be mixed. Maybe between a German Shepherd and a poodle? But that didn't explain the big ears…

“Noishe?” she said hesitantly, and was answered with a little whine. Not a sad whine though. Somehow, she could tell.

“Oh my god,” said a voice far behind her. Sheena must not have expected it either. “Is that a dog or a horse?!”

“Noishe! Don’t run so fast! And don’t open doors on your own!”

Colette raised her head at the voice. It was a little loud, but not enough to worry any of the animals nearby. Noishe’s ears perked up, and then a boy dressed in a red sweatshirt and cargo pants (not red) burst through. His brown hair was all tousled, and when he laid eyes on Colette, he waved, all with a wide grin on his face.

“Hey! My name’s Lloyd! Um, Regal said to come here…” He blinked, looking around the room and all of the doggy posters and a paw-pad clock on the wall. “I’m in the right place, ain’t I?”

Something about his confusion, even in a place stamped with doggy accessories everywhere (along with actual dogs) tickled Colette a bit. She giggled into her hand, Noishe’s ears perking up again, but at her voice this time.

“S-sorry!” She cleared her throat. “I mean, it’s nice to meet you, Lloyd. I’m Colette. Welcome to Pet Paradise!”

“Oh, good! So I definitely didn’t take that wrong turn earlier.” Lloyd nodded, seemingly proud of his statement.

“That dog’s so huge…” Sheena was whispering from far behind, but Colette only heard it faintly, distracted by Lloyd’s smiles, and Noishe’s big ears.

It had been a while since someone new had come along.

“Noishe can cheer anyone up! He even once got my dad out of a funk when he had trouble with his woodworking last year.” Lloyd guided his dog with one hand on his back as they walked around the small facility with Colette, looking through the different rooms that mainly held a few sleeping dogs, curled up next to each other. He seemed eager to get started on volunteering, answering Colette’s questions with vigor. “And, and! He can do tricks! Noishe, shake.”

Lloyd held out his hand, while Noishe looked up and down with a curious whine. Eventually, he shook Lloyd’s hand – but only after standing on his legs, and holding out a paw to place into Lloyd’s palm. He was also now a head taller than his owner.

“Oh, wow!” Colette said in awe.

But Lloyd looked less than impressed. “Noishe, you’re not supposed to stand…”

Colette knew she was needed to assess the new volunteer and his animal, but she kept finding herself drawn to Lloyd’s eyes, with the same hue as his hair. She shook her head, wondering if she had enough coffee this morning. “And is that why you wanted to lend your dog’s services as a therapy pet? Is he okay with meeting new people?”

“Yeah, he is!” Lloyd gently urged Noishe back on all four legs again, scratching behind his right ear. “Though… I guess I should say that he wasn’t always like that. Noishe used to be scared of literally everyone and everything. It took a while, but now he doesn’t run off or hide under the tables anymore.”

Colette looked at the giant dog with its bright black eyes, tail wagging back and forth at high speeds. She remembered just how easily Noishe had gone through the door, rushing up to her as if he had known her all his life. “I see… Is he a rescue?”

Lloyd hesitated in answering. She could see how he went over a dozen explanations inwwardly, making her wonder why he found the question difficult to answer. Regal didn’t really seem to know either…

“I guess he is, in a way,” Lloyd finally answered. “He’s had it tough for a long time. But he really does like meeting people now. And I think he used to years back before he got spooked.”

They walked through the back doors to an outdoor garden, though with all flowers safely out of reach of any excitable dog. There was a large, open area in the middle, the grass having been freshly cut, and the few remains of squeak toys that had been left outside.

Lloyd noted the details, all while the sun made his hair turn bronze in the light. “You know, I’ve never seen a pet therapy place like this…”

Colette smiled gently. “Mr. Regal has always done things a bit differently. He set up this facility so other people can come see the animals, though we still visit hospitals and schools. All of the dogs are his, too. And he still finds time in his day to play with everyone!”

Lloyd whipped his head to her. “Wait, all these dogs are his? Is this guy rich?”

“Hm, well, he used to be a CEO, I think? I don’t remember for what company… but he stepped down and gave away half of his money to charity and used the rest to build this place after taking in some rescues. And he’s trained all of them to help others now, too!”

She could tell the boy was impressed because she had felt the same! Lloyd looked around the area once again, marveling at the wide space that Regal had created for a gentle connection between human and dog (or cat, bird and guinea pig - maybe a horse or two). “Man, it kinda makes me wonder why he’d want me and Noishe around if he’s got it covered already.”

“But we can always use more help, Lloyd. And I’m sure Mr. Regal saw something in you.” After all, Lloyd had such a kind and warm smile, something she had noticed despite only knowing him for less than an hour.

“Hehe… I think you mean Noishe, right?” Even so, Lloyd stood a bit taller as he spoke, patting his dog on the back. “Though, I guess I forgot some people might be scared of his size, like that girl earlier…”

Oh, that was true. Sheena had been eyeing the giant Noishe since, staying in her corner with Corrine. “She’ll come around! And a lot of kids like big dogs anyway. They’re usually our most popular.”

“Cool! See, Noishe? You’re gonna be popular!”

A happy bark, with a force that made Colette jump just a bit, though not with any worry. “Hehe. Well, we got our beginning questions out of the way… Um, do you think you could show me how Noishe would help someone then? Just keep in mind that he’ll most likely be visiting new environments when he does so.”

She half-expected another trick, or something as simple as petting Noishe. Nothing could quite calm someone down than the feel of a doggy’s fur against one’s skin. In fact, when she saw Lloyd petting Noishe, it seemed that his hand would nearly disappear into that forest of strange green.

Lloyd seemed to catch her gaze, then whistled for Noishe to follow him along, closer to Colette. “Wanna pet him?” he offered, with so much familiar ease, as if they had always known each other. “I think that’s Noishe’s main talent, if you wanna test it out.”

Colette had to do all she could to hide her excitement – she had to maintain being a professional, after all. “I’d be glad to,” she said, then reached out a hand to pat Noishe on his furry head, like she did with all the dogs at the facility.

And it was at that moment, when her fingers made contact with Noishe’s fur, when her palm pressed against a warm scalp, she stilled. It was soft – so soft. Incredibly soft! Noishe angled his head to let her pet more, and she followed that angle, reaching out another hand to scratch right around his neck.

Colette let out a gasp. “He’s…like a really furry blanket!” More pets, and Noishe made a soft whine, but one that asked for more pets, and rang harmoniously in the air instead of in distress. “Wow, just…wow!”

All while she petted, Lloyd crossed his arms, nodding sagely.

“I make sure to always brush out his fur every day,” he stated. “Three times a day! It’s actually pretty relaxing to do. I figure people could do that while they pet him, and I always carry a brush.” He took out said brush, the handle as red as his sweatshirt. “But smaller kids could do this and ride him if they wanted.”

She was only half-listening now. By this point, Colette had already buried her face into Noishe’s fur, so entranced by the very texture of it. “So soft…”

Ah, but she wasn’t being professional! Colette cleared her throat as she pulled her hands away. But her eyes were closed from the bliss of the furry touch, and just the memory of it and… “But, maybe just one more time!”

Unfortunately, her eyes were still closed, and Lloyd must have gotten nearer to check on Noishe, probably to demonstrate the fur-brushing. But she hadn’t really been able to tell the difference at first, because the feel of the softness against her hands was nearly the same! Noishe’s fur was so warm…

“Um, C-Colette…?” She could feel the stammer in Lloyd’s throat.

“Huh?” She opened her eyes, seeing that her hands were not on Noishe’s head like she thought, but on Lloyd’s. Her fingers threaded through his hair, his head lowered, the hairbrush in his right hand.

It took her a few seconds longer to see what she was doing.

“Ah, I’m sorry!” Colette stepped back, mortified at herself that she had just…been petting Lloyd! “I-I didn’t know!”

Lloyd stood up, his face a beet-red, while his dog smiled at the situation. “Uh, d-don’t worry about it! Heh, so, um, does that mean we can volunteer with you? Since you liked Noishe so much!”

Yes, Noishe and…well…

“O-of course!” she said, laughing nervously. She patted down her shirt, remembering the touch on her fingertips.

She wished she didn’t have to be so embarrassing.

For the volunteers at Altamira’s Pet Paradise Therapy, the places they would visit, along with the people they met, varied with each day.

Colette wanted to make it easy for both Lloyd and Noishe on their first few days, and had them stay around the center at first. Plus, it was good to have Noishe get to know the other volunteer animals as well! On one day, Nibbles the cat had been around, and even as she was busy cleaning herself, or climbing up on shelves, she didn’t reject a small snout press from Noishe. Colette could have sworn she heard the kitty purr from the affection.

But soon, she saw on their schedule a client they had to visit - one that needed to stay at home instead of a hospital, their condition quite fragile.

“You’re sticking with me then?” Lloyd asked Colette once he was given the address, walking towards a mud-splattered pickup truck where Noishe immediately jumped into the backseat of. “I didn’t want to admit it, but I think I’d be nervous going to this myself.”

“Just think of it as part of training!” Colette reassured quickly. “Also, this particular client sounds like it needs someone like Noishe for them, so it should be good practice, too.”

Lloyd’s eyes lit up at the information before he got into the driver’s seat. “Oh, is it a kid then? Noishe is really great with kids!”

“Actually-” she started, but after fastening her seat-belt, the road got a little bumpy, and Noishe got a little needy, sticking his head from the backseat and getting all the pets he wanted, with Colette giving all the pets she wanted in return.

…And his fur still felt a bit like Lloyd’s hair, which she thought back to with nervousness. But Lloyd hadn’t brought it up since…

She had to admit, once they arrived, that the house was probably much bigger than what most people would expect. Lloyd's stare at the high walls and fanciful iron gates they had to walk through told her that much.

“Oh, the pet people?” spoke a blasé voice once they arrived at the door. A man with long red hair, wearing a slightly opened button-down shirt, and a curious glint in his eyes. Those same eyes quickly landed on Colette, followed by a grin. "Well, nice to see you again, angel. Got us another good doggy today? Maybe I can get my own personal session from you?~"

"Hi, Zelos!" she spoke, completely unfazed by his advances.

He seemed to size them up before finally noticing Noishe in the center, seated politely, tail brushing against the floor.

“What the-? Is that thing a dog?!”

Lloyd frowned. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”

“This is Noishe!” Colette quickly intervened. "He's new to our therapy center. I think Seles will really love him."

Zelos kept staring, his carefree persona already fading away by the second. "Sure you didn't have any…normal-sized dogs around?"

"Hey! My dog is very normal!" Lloyd called out, already getting aggravated on his very first trip out.

"Oh. So he's your dog. Can't say I'm surprised then." Zelos gave a long sigh, pushing away a few red locks from his face, only for them to fall back against his cheek. "God damn, the fur's gonna get all over the place…Whatever. Seles is in the living room, so let's get this moving."

"...Did this guy even want us here?" Lloyd asked, only slightly under his breath. The home challenged the definition of big, with a needlessly long hallway, the floor tiles looking to be made of marble. "He's acting like such a jerk."

"Ah, Lloyd, it's okay," Colette tried to appease. "He's been using our services for a long time. He and Regal also know each other, and this has been helping his sister with her condition. He’s her caretaker, and just worries over her a lot."

"Huh?" He then leaned down to her, trying his very best to whisper. “If he’s doing all that, then why does he have such a weird attitude?"

"Well…"

"You do know I can hear you as clear as day," said Zelos without turning around. "Like, you're not even trying, bud."

Lloyd flushed, clamping his mouth shut. The expression was cute to Colette's eyes, but she carefully swallowed down her giggles.

The house had taken her by surprise the first time as well; everything looked too fancy to even touch, and she always wondered at a certain great painting that hung by itself in another room they passed by. But Lloyd, even in his own confusion, guided Noishe gently across the hallway, all until they made it to the living room where two sets of couches were set by an open window, and a grand piano stood forgotten in a corner, covered in dust.

A young woman was seated on one of the couches, wearing fine clothes and an overly large sun hat, a rose pinned to its brim. She held an open book in hand, though she wasn’t exactly preoccupied with reading. She was gazing through the window, her hair matching the same shade as Zelos' own.

“Yo, Seles. Pet guys are here.”

She turned then, a slight wrinkle in her forehead when she glanced at Zelos before turning to Lloyd and Colette. “Please excuse my brother. He didn’t give you a hard time, did he?”

“Aw, so that’s how you say thanks to me for setting these up?” Zelos shrugged, but he went to lean against the piano, his pose so casual he might have started dozing off any second.

It didn’t take long for Seles to single out Noishe immediately.

"Oh. So…that's a new dog then?"

Colette nodded. “Yep. We have a new volunteer.” She tapped Lloyd’s shoulder, who was still reeling from the giant floorplan that was this home. “Go ahead.”

Maybe she was getting ahead of herself to already put Lloyd in this kind of place. But even with his hesitance, he had his smile on, already doing his best to make a good impression.

Walking across the plush carpet, Lloyd brought Noishe who followed at his side. He gave a short whistle, his dog immediately sitting down, ears raised up high.

"This is Noishe. He's a big guy, but he's also a big ol' softie." He patted Noishe's back before speaking to the seated girl before him. "Wanna try petting him?"

Seles raised an eyebrow. Even with Noishe seated on his haunches, he towered over her by at least a few inches. "If I can even reach up to his head, but I'll try."

“That’s no problem! Here, Noishe.” A soft snap of his fingers, his hand lowered just at the same height of Seles’ face, and his dog followed through. A furry head now within the woman’s reach.

From his lounge against the piano, Zelos gave a small snicker. “That dog could be your new coffee table, sis.”

Seles sighed sharply at his comment, but it didn’t stop her from reaching out her hands to the dog. Her skin was pale, and her fingers just a bit shaky, yet Colette noted how she had looked a bit better since the last time she had seen her.

It only took a few strokes against the forest of fur for Seles’ disinterested expression to change. “He’s like silk,” she commented, moving her right hand to travel down Noishe’s back. The dog whined in a low voice, with a light rumble in his throat. “Is…is he purring?”

Lloyd chuckled. “Noishe’s weird like that. But it’s a nice sound, don’t you think?”

“Huh…” Seles continued to pet him, all the hard lines around her mouth beginning to fade. Even her shoulders seemed less tense. “It is. He’s a very odd dog. And he has so much fur…”

“The secret is brushing him a lot.” Lloyd knelt on the floor, giving Noishe another pet along his ear. “Noishe likes it, too. So, maybe, um…”

A small slip from his confidence, but when he glanced toward Colette, she motioned to his pockets, knowing what he was offering.

Out came the hairbrush, clean of any stray furs. He held out the handle towards Seles. “The best way is to start from the neck and down his back.”

Seles took a moment. Her sun hat nearly covered her eyes, but Colette could imagine the curiosity in them, and knew Lloyd would see it too.

When she took the hairbrush, Zelos groaned slightly. “Our carpet’s gonna be a mess.”

“That’s what we have Sebastian and Tokunaga for,” she deftly answered. Then she followed Lloyd’s instructions, letting him guide her arm. The brush moved through tangles gently. Noishe stretched out his forelegs, clearly enjoying the sensation.

But Colette had seen something pass over Zelos’ face; something of relief, the brief shadow of a smile. She walked up to him, and soon that smile transformed into the leering grin that he always seemed to put on.

“Oh, angel~ Gonna give me that therapy session I’ve been asking for?”

“I was thinking we could do that today for you too actually!” she answered.

Zelos froze, blinking twice before saying, “You serious?”

She pointed towards Noishe who was now lying on the floor, his head settling on Seles’ knees. More brushing against the sides of his neck, Lloyd now sitting back and watching with pride.

“Oh.” Zelos shook his head. “Nah, I’m not really a dog person. Seles is more into animals than me.”

“Hm.” Colette pressed her lips together. “But maybe Seles would be happy if you joined her too?”

A pause. “I mean…she won’t care if I do. I annoy her, remember?”

“Are you sure about that?” With a bit more assertiveness than she was used to, she took Zelos’ hand to bring him forward. “You can get to know Lloyd.”

“Whoa, getting a little handsy there,” Zelos teased, but she could see the nervousness around his eyes, how they slightly flickered from side to side. Yet after all this time of visiting the Wilder home, she had always thought that more than one person here needed to pet a dog.

And Noishe had the softest fur she had ever felt. Or, one of the softest…

“Hey! You wanna brush him too?” Lloyd took out another hairbrush from his pocket, handing it to Zelos. “You can get the back while Seles takes care of the front.”

“...Do you seriously carry more than one of these? Who does that?” Even as Zelos argued, he still accepted it, kneeling on the floor to get close to the dog. “Everytime I look at this thing, it seems even bigger…”

“Aw, is the Great Zelos scared of a puppy?” Seles smirked, the color in her cheeks brighter now. She even seemed to breathe easier too. “It’s okay, you can let your big sis handle this.”

“Now you know I can’t let that stand!” But once Zelos started to brush, and doing so quite naturally (Colette figured that was why his long hair always looked so pretty), his fingers had made contact with Noishe’s fur. He stopped, blinked, then continued brushing, but slower this time.

“It’s soft, isn’t it?” Colette asked him.

She could swear that the shadows that sometimes lined his face brightened then, that his lips lifted into a more genuine smile. Even his voice was more hushed. “Gotta admit…This feels nice.”

Noishe, who looked to be in doggy paradise, turned his head towards Zelos. Then he leaned forward, giving him a quick lick across the cheek.

Zelos flinched. “Ugh! Slobber!”

“Be nice, Zelos,” Seles scolded, but she was still happily brushing away, humming as she did so.

Eventually, Lloyd got up to leave Zelos and Seles with Noishe, standing by Colette’s side. “So… we did good, you think?”

Colette sported a thumbs-up. “You two did amazing! How do you feel?”

A soft beat before he answered, glancing to the siblings who were now laughing with each other. “Real good.”

Sometimes, certain clients give unique challenges like this. But it was worth it to help people. She was glad to see Lloyd understood that too.

–

Their next visit was to a more public place this time. The Sybak hospital at the north part of town always welcomed volunteers from Altamira Pet Paradise, so that at least Lloyd and Colette wouldn’t be by themselves.

“You know, hospitals usually have a limit on the size of the pet visiting.” Genis had been a volunteer for a year now, his pet budgie perched on his shoulder. He was looking at Lloyd’s dog with great curiosity. “But dogs usually get a special preference.”

“Hey, Noishe hasn’t done anything wrong!” Lloyd argued seriously. And Noishe was indeed the perfect picture of a pet, seated on the floor quietly as other pets engaged with patients on the lower floor. Genis snickered, moving his budgie to his finger.

“I was just kidding. Although, they didn’t let in the horse that one time…”

“Aw, that’s right,” Colette said with a sigh. “I think the patients here would have loved braiding her mane…”

“Wait, you never told me you have a horse volunteer!" Lloyd's excitement was enough to even get Noishe's tail wagging. "I wanna see it.”

“Maybe next time!” Colette reached for Lloyd’s arm, pointing to an elevator. “We’re supposed to be meeting another patient on the 14th floor. She isn’t able to come downstairs.”

This was also a special case - Regal had asked them specifically to see this certain patient. “I believe she would greatly enjoy seeing Noishe,” he had told them, though he hadn’t expanded much further.

It had already been a few weeks since Lloyd and Noishe became volunteers. Even so, Colette made sure to stick by them, whether it was at the facility, or out to other locations. It was to make sure they were getting used to it. That was all.

And yet, as they gathered in the elevator, as Noishe sidled by Colette's side, inviting another pet she was all too happy to give, she noticed how her heart would beat just a tiny bit faster when Lloyd was close by.

A furtive glance at his face, one that she tried to pass off as checking on the highlighted number of each floor they passed through - but Lloyd had caught the stare. The eyes that she was so fascinated by clutched her in warm bronze. "Something up?"

"Ah, no, just, um…" Another stroke through Noishe's fur, and her nervousness dissipated. But also, Lloyd's easy smile didn't make her nervous for long anyway. "I was just thinking, how long have you had Noishe? Which shelter did you get him from?"

She knew a few, with some that she had volunteered at in the past before working with Regal. Though she believed she would have remembered a dog like Noishe…

"I guess I never told you that," Lloyd said, and it seemed he was also thinking on his answer, as if, maybe, there was more than one choice to give her. But how could that be? "But, I didn't get him from a shelter. I've had him for as long as I can remember."

"Oh, you grew up with Noishe?" It made so much sense to her now, with just how well they clicked together. "So your parents adopted him from one?"

And somehow, this question made Lloyd look a little nervous, made him shift, as if he would say the wrong thing to her. "It's kinda hard to explain…"

The elevator doors opened then. Just as Lloyd gently tugged on Noishe's leash to lead him, he said to Colette, "Can I tell you later about it? I promise I will. It's just kinda complicated to say it in just five minutes."

Intrigue, wonder, and perhaps a little guilt for putting Lloyd on the spot with such questions; she would have apologized just then if Lloyd hadn't also added something else.

"Also, don't apologize. I can tell you're wanting to." He grinned, the action bringing dimples to his cheeks. "I wanna tell you when I'm able to."

She decided to trust him on that. "Okay. I'll keep you to your promise then!"

After that, it was only a small trip down the hospital hallway, the floors scrubbed clean, and the entire area quiet except for their footfalls. "I think it was room number…" Colette thought aloud, until she saw a doctor, her hair a brilliant silver shine, open a nearby door, its number that had been on the tip of her tongue. "Dr. Sage, it's good to see you!"

"Oh, Colette, and a new volunteer, it looks like?" The woman adjusted her glasses as she studied them both, and then of course, her gaze drew down to Noishe. "Hm. I've never seen such a breed."

Colette never figured that out either… Another thing that she needed Lloyd to tell her!

"Anyway, I heard from Regal that you're here to see Presea. She's still recovering, so please don't overstimulate her."

She didn't stay long, already heading down the hallway, the door to the room left open. There was just the sharp clack of the doctor's heels on the floors, and a gentle beeping pattern from within the room.

It really was so quiet, and perhaps something about it set something uneasy in Colette. She wasn't sure why.

"Colette?" Lloyd placed a hand against her back, his fingertips just barely touching her shirt. "Are you okay?"

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. We can't keep them waiting." And with that, she might have fully opened the door fully a little too quickly, nearly tripping over herself with the effort. But the sight of the child in the bed, her right arm hooked to the medical device that kept its beeping rhythm, seemed to be enough to distract her, as well as Lloyd.

"Oh, hello," spoke the child - except she didn't sound like one at all. Her voice held the tone of an adult, despite her appearance, her pink hair tied up in twin ponytails. She sat up with a bit of difficulty. "I didn't expect any visitors today."

"We're with Altamira Pet Paradise," Lloyd quickly answered - and Colette didn't realize at first how she had strangely hesitated. She was suddenly so distracted and tired, but Lloyd gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before he moved into the room with Noishe. "I'm Lloyd, that's Colette, and here's Noishe." A little excited gesture to show off his dog, who gently yipped at the sound of his name. "Your name is Presea?"

"Yes, it is." Presea's blue eyes held a curiosity much like a child, yet still her voice sounded much older. Her white gown was even a bit oversized on her. But she held a steady gaze when she looked at both Lloyd and Noishe. "They usually don't allow animals on this floor so…why now?"

Lloyd didn't know how to answer that, and unfortunately, neither did Colette. But instead of staying in silence, he brought Noishe closer to the girl's bed, assessing her reaction. She didn't move back or turn away, and in fact, seemed to move in closer.

"Do you like dogs?" Lloyd asked her.

"Hm…I like paw pads," she told him. Her hands clutched the bed sheet draped across her legs, but not in fear. It was as if she was stopping herself.

"You can pet him," he suggested, letting Noishe rest his chin on the bed. "Hm, or better yet, you wanna see his paw pads?"

"Oh…" Presea blinked, raising her head to him. Colette had moved closer by now, and only then could she see the scar just below the girl's collar bone in the shape of an oval. It was as if something had been excised from there recently. "Is it alright to?"

"Of course it is! Here. Just ask him to shake. Easiest way to see them."

Presea paused again, but she looked towards Noishe, finally releasing the blanket to hold out her hand to him. "Shake?"

Immediately, Noishe raised up his left paw, placing it perfectly in Presea's open palm.

"There you go!" Lloyd cheered. He extended his arm then to gently turn up Noishe's palm. "Just so you know, he's a little ticklish here."

"Ah, I see." But even as she spoke, her gaze was solely for Noishe and his soft paw pads. She gently poked a finger against it, and the dog wagged his tail as a result, complete with a soft whine.

"Oh no, did I hurt him?" Presea asked, her tone oddly montone despite her words.

"Nah, don't worry. He's just letting you know it tickles." Lloyd stayed back, letting the girl examine the paw pads as if they were a new discovery. "You can pet him and hug him too."

Presea seemed to consider this, and used her other hand to pet his head. A soft gasp from her, followed by a scratch behind Noishe's right ear. She smiled for the first time, echoing something young in her. "He's so soft…both his fur and his paw pads…Thank you."

It was only later, after they had finally left the hospital, going back to the therapy center to report on their trip for the day, did Colette learn a bit more about Presea. She had been only 12 years old when she had been involved in a terrible accident, one that had sent her in a coma for the next decade. Many had believed she would never wake again, except for the individual who paid for her medical expenses, who also helped further research into her condition - a man named Regal Bryant.

And after looking through her file back at the therapy center, Colette wanted to tell Lloyd all about this, yet still she couldn't shake the feeling from earlier, that strange sadness, hearing the quiet of the halls and the echoes of footsteps far off into the distance. Maybe, because…it had reminded her of another place…

She was clutching the papers detailing their trip, holding them so tightly, until a voice called out, "Colette. Me and Noishe are about to head home… Are you alright?"

She made herself unclench her fingers, finally placing the papers down on the reception desk. "Y-yeah, I'm okay," she said with a giggle. "I'll see you tomorrow then?"

She thought that would be it, until Lloyd, with those eyes she kept finding herself drawn to, said, "If I tell you more about Noishe later, will you tell me more about yourself?"

Colette was speechless for a moment, wondering where such words came from. Maybe he was joking, or playing a prank on her. But Lloyd looked at her seriously, and it was hard to turn away.

"Will you tell me about yourself too?" she found herself asking.

At that, Lloyd grinned. "The thing about Noishe…it has to do with me too. Can't have one without the other. I have to get home but I promise next time for sure."

He waved to her, though, for a second, she thought he had been about to do something else. Like when he had pressed his hand against her back, so lightly, but so warm.

She almost wished he had done what he wanted to do first, but she nodded. "Then, I promise, too."

Their schedules had been packed for the next few days; a classroom of kindergarteners came to visit the center, and had completely taken over Lloyd and Noishe’s time. Though, not that Noishe minded, perfectly happy to give those small enough to ride him, and the children careful to not tug at his fur or ears.

Colette also had to go out to visit other places that needed their services, from the nearby hospitals to private homes. She was perfect with every dog she handled, and watched over other volunteers who needed both her guidance and patience.

Though this meant her and Lloyd were separated, now fully engulfed in Regal’s work. Until, news came to her on an already quite busy Thursday.

“...Dad?” she whispered as she answered her cellphone, having just gotten back to the center from her trip out. She had not even put her purse down, instead slowly walking behind the reception desk. “Is there something wrong?”

A few moments, her breath held still. She nodded. “Okay, I’ll be there soon. Thank you.”

It's late in the day…Most of Regal's doggies are asleep…The other volunteers can watch over the animals. But who should I bring? Grandmother seems to like Pippy the most…

But as she moved to leave, she didn't see exactly where she was going - and that was how she tripped over Noishe, who was laying contently on the floor near one of the doorways.

"Waa!"

She flailed to grab onto something. Instead, a hand caught her around the waist, making her fall into someone's chest. A soft impact, with softer texture. Even with the dog fur that was quite everywhere in the center, she could still find his familiar scent.

"Whoa! Sorry, I was, uh, just trying to catch you." Though even as he said so, Lloyd wasn't moving away, arm still wrapped around her as if her knees would buckle just then. To be fair, Colette wasn’t sure if she’d be unable to stop herself from falling again without his hand.

“Aha…I’m just, really clumsy sometimes.” With a gentle press of her palms against his chest, she gathered herself to stand again on unshaking legs. “I was… in a hurry to get somewhere, that’s all.”

It was hard to expand on it, even when she could see the question hovering in Lloyd’s eyes. Would he ask her? Maybe part of her was aching for it.

“Okay then,” Lloyd finally said, nodding in understanding. “If you need to.”

“...Yeah, I do.” Colette tried to hide the disappointment. It’s not like any of this was Lloyd’s concern after all, and he was probably already busy himself -

“Want me to drive you?”

The hue of his eyes caught her, along with his smile. The same smile that always seemed to disarm her, just a little bit. What was it about Lloyd’s smile? Maybe because it was so open and held nothing else behind it. It reminded her of something…

“I don’t have other places to be today, and everyone else here already is being taken care of by the other volunteers,” Lloyd was saying, bringing a hand to scratch at his cheek. Again, that smile. The honesty in it was enough to pull at her chest. “And, maybe I’ve just been working here long enough…but it seems like you need some help?”

Colette was unsure how to answer - because she’s supposed to help other people. Not herself. Why should it be herself when so many others need it more than she did?

She felt something press into her hand. It was a sensation she knew immediately, the wet contact of a dog’s nose.

Colette blinked, looking down to see Noishe’s bright black eyes, the whiskers from his snout, and the long ears that shifted like the swaying of grass in the wind.

Lloyd gave a small laugh at the sight, so warm and sincere in its tones. “Maybe I should ask…do you need Noishe’s help?”

His fur was just beneath her fingertips, and when she reached down to pet him, her legs felt less wobbly, and the strange static buzz in her head since receiving the phone call began to evaporate. She took a breath, in and out, and then another, all while Noishe remained with her.

And Lloyd. But she couldn’t very well reach out to pet him…Not again…

“I need to go to the Iselia Nursing Home,” she told him. “And… I think Noishe would be perfect to come along.” She paused. “He could help someone there.”

It was hard to admit it yet, but Lloyd didn’t push. Instead, he simply nodded, whistling Noishe to his side, and holding out a hand towards Colette. “Let’s get going then. We can beat the traffic rush if we go now.”

His hand was there to keep her from falling. That was why he reached out to her, she told herself. But that didn’t stop her heart racing when she accepted it, his warmth seeping into her skin.

Her grandmother seemed happy here, Colette thought.

The retirement home was certainly one of the more expensive in town, a place that had definitely been out of the reach of her father’s savings. But Phaidra Brunel had been beloved by her fellow church members, beloved by the pastors and acolytes, and the parish’s coffers were deeper than any one man’s. They would always make sure one of their most dedicated to their church was well-taken care of.

When they finally arrived, Colette was careful to keep her eyes away from the symbols of worship placed around the walls and over doorways, yet it didn’t stop the prayers that went through her mind by rote. Like a poem that she had been taught to memorize, to focus on the meaning of each word, and each tangibility.

It was just something she had to go through whenever she was here. Like the echoes of her footsteps when she used to walk the church’s hallways…

“Oh, Colette! You have a new dog?”

The residents of the retirement home all knew her, some even knowing the dogs by name that she would bring, like Pippy, and Dot, and even Sprinkles when Regal had joined her on a few trips. But from some of the seated residents, most of them gathered in the main living room area, with a view of the patio outside and the sunlight streaming in through silk curtains, she could tell a few of their gazes switched to Lloyd who stood next to her.

Lloyd showed no doubt in his voice, already raising a hand in a wave, bringing Noishe to the forefront. “Hey! This is my best pal, Noishe. He’s happy to meet a lot of new people.”

It wasn’t an exaggeration. Noishe was already trotting up to a few residents, even those with unsteady hands who snagged at his collar in their attempts to pet him. A lady in an old-fashioned polka dot dress gushed at his long ears, while a man who needed to wear a special device for his oxygen tank nearby commented on the luster of his fur. Still, one or two of the residents may have held a certain prayer book in their hands.

“Do you still sing at the choir, Colette?” one elderly man asked, clutching a cane in his right hand while petting Noishe’s head with the other.

“Ah no, Matthew… I’ve been much too busy,” she explained to him, as she had done on her last few visits here. “I’m here to see Phaidra.”

“Oh, she’s right outside, near the garden,” spoke another, though for now, it was hard for Colette to place. Lloyd must have seen her feet shift on the floorboards, or heard the weariness in her voice. He gently tugged on Noishe’s leash, said a few words to the residents and then took Colette’s hand as well. Just outside, they said. It used to be quite easy for her, but the guilt in her had only increased since.

She didn’t really think twice about Lloyd helping her along gently, not until they were outside the retirement home again, with Phaidra seated underneath a bowed tree in her wheelchair, a blanket draped over her knees. A few months ago, she had insisted on just using her cane, but now it was nowhere to be found.

“Chosen?” Phaidra turned her head, and her smile lifted in a sea full of wrinkles. “Oh, Chosen! How wonderful it is to see you.”

She could feel Lloyd stall at the title, could feel herself stall at it - but she pressed forward, reaching out to clasp the elderly woman’s hands in her own. “Hello, grandmother. Father told me you asked to see me.”

“Of course, of course,” Phaidra nodded. Her blonde hair, held up by red clips on both sides of her head, was of a more faded color than Colette’s, as if lightened by the sun. “The church will be having its festival quite soon, and they would absolutely love to have you. I’ve already put in a good word for you. They also loved your hymn singing from years back. Do you still sing, Chosen?”

Colette continued to smile, even as her mind stilled. “I do sometimes. But, Regal still needs me at the therapy center and…”

This was where Phaidra would keep talking, on the new church events she had been keeping track of and oh, please, would Colette not consider going to a Mass soon and-

But instead, her grandmother looked behind her. She felt Noishe’s fur brush her arm, instantly soothing, instantly gratifying.

“Oh my! He feels so heavenly!” spoke Phaidra, releasing Colette’s hands to pet Noishe’s head.

Noishe’s fur was like magic, Colette thought.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t notice you were here too.” Phaidra looked to Lloyd who greeted her with a bright smile. “Is this your dog? He’s as big as a horse!” But she said so with laughter.

“Yeah, he’s mine. I’m Lloyd, by the way.” The breeze tugged at his hair, a few of the fallen leaves gathering at his feet. “He must know you really like dogs!”

Phaidra was giggling, almost odd to hear from someone so aged in years. But she stroked Noishe’s head, gently tracing his long ears with wonder. “He’s so very precious… Did you give this one a name too, Colette?”

She chuckled before she answered - a bit easier than before, now that she heard a name before any title. “He already had a name when he joined…His name is Noishe.”

Colette always wondered if her love of dogs came from her grandmother.

Phaidra was insistent on having Noishe beside her, and the dog was only too happy to comply. Underneath the afternoon sun, Noishe laid out on the grass by Phaidra’s wheelchair, pressing his head to her knee as she stroked him with slightly bent hands, the liver spots on her fingers highlighted by the sunshine.

It was relaxing for them both, enough that Colette felt it was okay for her to step away for a bit, to move to a part of the garden where an angel statue was placed. The vines curled around its body, snagging onto its wing continuously, that had it been alive, would have made it impossible for such a being to fly.

“Colette,” she heard from behind her. Lloyd’s voice didn’t startle her, and she waited until he was by her side, hands in the pockets of his sweatshirt. “You feeling okay?”

“Hm? Um, yeah! I feel fine.” She smiled at him. “Thanks for coming with me to check up on my grandmother. I knew she’d love Noishe.”

She wasn’t sure what she expected, but when Lloyd reached to hold her hand in his, it had sent her heart racing again - but in a way that she found addicting.

“I promised I’d tell you about Noishe and me,” he said then, flicking a glance to his dog who stayed by Phaidra, his fur speckled from the sunshine that filtered through the branches.

Colette took a moment, knowing what else this meant. “You did.”

She watched him take a small breath, his fingers twining with hers so naturally. Maybe it was his touch that made her feel more calm, something that she had only ever really felt when running her hand through fur…or through someone’s hair.

“When I was three years old, I was found with Noishe. We were lying on some dirt road that my dad happened to be traveling on… Well, my foster dad.” Lloyd grinned. “I’m adopted. And I guess Noishe is too. No one knew where we came from, or who my parents were. I think it’s, like, officially determined we were abandoned. No one’s ever filed a missing child report for me, so it’s probably true.”

Colette processed the information, unsure what to say. “Lloyd…”

“Hey, it’s okay. I already have a family - just not blood-related.” He squeezed her hand. “And so does Noishe. Back when I was a kid, he was so scared of everything. He barely ever wanted to go outside. I think it’s because of whatever happened to us. Maybe an accident, or someone was trying to hurt us… But I can’t remember anything at all.”

Noishe, the giant dog who continually asked for pets and went out of his way to greet new people. The dog with his strange whines that sounded almost like music when you pet him just right…

“He used to only be able to whine. Not even bark. It took a really long time for him to get braver.” Lloyd raised a curious glance to the angel statue next to them. “I’ve tried finding out about where we might have come from… But no luck. I don’t think it matters anyway. Noishe has gotten better since. Maybe… we’re just better off not knowing?”

Colette held his hand tightly. “But, it’s okay to want to know,” she reassured, then paused. “Ah, sorry.”

Lloyd laughed a little, his teeth showing in a half-grin. “You’re such a dork. Don’t be sorry. I guess it’s not bad to want to know, just…” And then he looked at her, moving just slightly closer as he held her hand. “There’s more important things.”

With that, Lloyd faced her fully, one hand up, his grin wide. “Your turn now!”

Colette blinked. “My turn…?”

“Hey, don’t go back on your promise “Remember? You said you’d tell me more about you after I told you about me.”

Oh, he was right! She had completely forgotten about that.

“Well, it’s not like I have much interesting stuff to say,” she protested a bit.

Then Lloyd took her other hand, clasping it tight. She could see into his eyes much clearer now, the sun shining against his hair, almost tempting to touch.

“Try me.”

Maybe something like this should have made her more nervous, or sent spikes of anxiety through her spine, or laid something heavy on her shoulders. Because, whenever she thought about herself, that was how she felt.

But Lloyd and his touch seemed to make her feel calm instead.

“I just… get a little overwhelmed when I’m here.” Colette took a deep breath. “I left my church years ago and…I just haven't stopped feeling guilty since. My grandmother keeps thinking I’ll come back someday. There was a lot in place for me, for when I took over her role in the church because I was…chosen.” She giggled half-heartedly. “It sounds really weird when I say it out loud like this.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Lloyd reassured, holding both of her hands, urging her to continue.

Another deep breath as she brushed her thumb against his. “But a few years back, I met Regal and saw what he was trying to do… He had so many doggies that helped so many people! And, maybe it was selfish of me but I didn’t want to stay at the church and take up their roles and take vows that just keep me-” She stopped, cleared her throat. “I wanted to do something different instead. Even though I still pray sometimes and remember all the verses. But, it’s not like how it used to be. Regal wouldn’t force me to stay at the center if I no longer wanted to…”

She was rambling. She had never mentioned so much of this to anyone before, only bits and pieces. “As…the chosen in my church, they said I could help people with their charity and prayers but…I wanted to help people in my own way…In a way that I felt more like me.” Another pause. “I’m sorry.”

Lloyd’s voice didn’t let her falter in her guilt for long.

“Why are you apologizing for being you?”

“I…”

She almost felt like she would cry then, and maybe she was, feeling the heat around her eyes. But Lloyd didn’t turn away. “I think you want to pet something,” he said.

She sniffled a little. “Yeah…but Noishe is with grandmother now…”

Something passed in Lloyd’s face; a brief flush on his cheeks, a smile with a tinge of nervousness. “Well…okay, maybe this is weird, but, hear me out! You could always pet…someone else?”

“But who?” They had no other dogs with them…

Even though she already knew.

“Um…Man, you’re really gonna make me show you…” Lloyd took a deep breath, then with quickness, placed Colette’s hands on top of his head. Her fingers went through his hair, which was soft and fluffy.

Oh, she missed this feeling.

“...Okay, this is probably too dumb, sorry,” spoke Lloyd, his face now as red as his sweatshirt. But just as he was about to pull her hands away, she remained locked in place.

“No, let me pet a little more!” Colette was saying. “Um, if it’s okay!”

Lloyd blinked, the red in his cheeks having only increased. “Uh, s-sure! Is this helping?”

“Yeah!” Colette smiled wide, running her fingers through his hair. “You feel exactly like Noishe!”

“I’m gonna take that as a compliment!” spoke Lloyd, laughing with her.

“You must brush your hair a lot…”

“I mean, kinda? I mostly just use gel.”

“Oh, that’s why your hair sticks up like that!” She giggled, pressing her palms against his swept up spikes. “It’s cute.”

“Aw, you’re gonna mess it up a little…”

She was intoxicated with touching him like this, the kind that made her head feel light and her chest full of airy bubbles. Maybe that was why it felt easy to step in closer to him, his face near hers, until she was kissing him before she was aware of it.

It was so light and warm. Her hands still rushed through his hair, slowly, enjoying the texture against her skin.

“I…didn’t mean for that to happen,” Lloyd said, his breath low. “At least, not right now.”

Right. Her grandmother was still nearby. But her back was turned, and Noishe provided her with the best distraction.

“I think now was a perfect time,” she told Lloyd, leaning in for another kiss, seeing his smile before she closed her eyes.

Noishe’s fur was healing, but there was something about Lloyd’s touch that was more magical than anything else.

#tales of symphonia #colette brunel #lloyd irving #colloyd #colloydweek2022 #zelos wilder #seles wilder #regal bryant #noishe #presea combatir #genis sage #raine sage #phaidra brunel #fanfiction #one shot #so sorry this is long this got out of control

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themculibrary · 9 months

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We’ll Haunt This Place (The Two of Us) (ao3) - ElloPoppet clint/steve, past clint/phil E, 25k

Summary: Huh. Captain America showing up at his farm unannounced in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon with a suitcase. Somehow, not the strangest thing to ever happen to Clint. Not even the strangest way he had been woken from a nap, honestly.

we’re pretenders (ao3) - snufkin103 steve/bucky N/R, 10k

Summary: Bucky sets up a double date. Things don’t go as planned.

Were These Sweet Memories In Revenge? (ao3) - TheWorthyElevator kate/yelena E, 21k

Summary: When Kate met her idol, she never thought she would be on the run from a gang in tracksuits, find out her mother’s fiancee is a criminal, or fall in love with a former Black Widow assassin sent to kill said idol. But, hey, life’s been crazier. What could possibly go wrong?

Whatever you say darling (ao3) - XtaticPearl bucky/tony M, 9k

Summary: Tony has been trying to woo Bucky for about a year now. He flirts, he builds him things, he kisses him on the cheek after movie nights and does almost everything he can think of to convince the guy that he really wants to date him. Bucky is strangely steadfast in his answer though: No, they can’t date. After an explosive argument about the issue, Tony leaves the Tower for Malibu, making the team wary of a moody Bucky. When he comes back after two weeks, things are a bit…different.

Tony is actually doing exactly what Bucky asks. And it is creeping the team out while making Bucky go crazy.

When it don’t come Easy (ao3) - ShadowsintheClouds scott/tony M, 14k

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When The Stars Come Calling (ao3) - lazywriter7 past steve/tony, peter quill/tony M, 108k

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Summary: MJ wakes up to find she hasn’t forgotten Peter Parker. When she and Ned go looking for him, he doesn’t remember them. Why?

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where the memories reside (ao3) - swingingparty pepper/tony T, 110k

Summary: Peter Parker has been dead for six months.

Six months, three days, and 18 hours.

At least, that’s what everyone things. Even Tony Stark, though he’d kill rather than admit it. But then a school in Queens is blown up and suddenly Peter Parker is back on the radar.

Except he’s not Peter Parker anymore.

He doesn’t even remember who that is.

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Summary: Bucky wakes up from cryo to find himself in a world without Steve - and that’s just the beginning of his problems.

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Then it escalates.

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Summary: The Avengers arrive back at the tower after everything that's happened with the Sokovia Accords. They expect everything to be the same, but it's not. Now there's a kid living at the tower and the Avengers think he's more than just Tony's "personal assistant". Natasha and Wanda are determined to find out the truth.

Wingman (ao3) - sahiya G, 4k

Summary: Holy shit, Rhodey thought. Tony’s a dad.

Wish We Could Turn Back Time (ao3) - Girlinpink44 pepper/tony T, 64k

Summary: With a snap of his fingers, Tony Stark finds himself with the chance to change everything. Armed with foreknowledge and his found family, can he figure out a way to stop Thanos before he snaps? They say hindsight is 20/20 and Tony is about to find out how true that really is.

Withering Away (ao3) - GalaxyThreads T, 73k

Summary: Thor failed. He failed his family, his people, his friends, and drinking solves nothing. When the Avengers arrive to initiate their plan, they find a much different Thor. One who’s only willing to agree on one condition: When they get the Tesseract, it will be on the Statesmen, and Thor will bring back Loki with him. (Fix-it) (No slash, no smut) Avengers as family! Whump!

worth the wait (ao3) - complicationstoo bucky/tony, background steve/sam T, 5k

Summary: Tony and Bucky keep trying to have their first date, but are met with constant interruptions. It takes them six tries and a broken elevator to finally get there.

Wrapped Up In Clover (ao3) - FestiveFerret steve/tony, clint/phil T, 54k

Summary: It’s been seven years since Steve and Tony split up, and Steve’s sure he’ll never see Tony again. He’s finally managed to put their failed relationship behind him and move on, focusing on his friends and building his business. But then his best friends, Bucky and Clint, decide to get married, and their wedding week at a cabin resort in Vermont turns into a minefield of heartbreak for Steve.

#themculibrary #mcu #marvel #masterlists #ficsw #fiscw masterlist

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anonymoushybr1dity · 3 years

Text

i have,, a big ol god/deity au for the dream smp,, but i have no plot based ideas yet,,, i wanna get this idea out Somehow so i am making a snazzy tumblr post about some stuff i enjoy from it smile

- there are four different status levels someone can have in this au: gods, who are the top of the top, immortals with complete control over and abilities pertaining to 1-3 traits; Beings (capital B), who are immortal as well, but are more like the figureheads of certain traits, rather than controlling them. still powerful, but less so than gods; immortals, who are people gods or beings liked enough to decide to keep by their sides for their endless journeys; and then everybody else who just kinda runs around and lives their mortal life. just ur average joe

- gods/Beings/immortals (we’ll just group em together as gods for now) usually have very ironic powers. for example, tommy is both the god of chaos and discipline, ranboo is a Being of memories, new beginnings, and sides, tubbo is god of illusions and power, etc etc. it’s very unfortunate lol

- completely unintentional, but twitch prime and channel membership are a part of this au? to the point where the majority of my structuring centers around them lmao,, they are twin gods of prosperity and punishment, people tend to say “prime is prosperity, channel is punishment” but they equally share power of the titles (prime subs - tos, channel members - demonitization)

- dreamXD and The Blood God are in the au as well :] dreamXD is the Being of control and The Blood God is.... u guessed it.......... blood. and also voices. it was originally meant in their power as “giving voice to the people” in the form of violence, but it manifested itself as the years went on as Chat

- the original point of me making this au was to make tommy and ranboo gods... it spiraled out of hand Very Fast as you can see

- charlie slimecicle is an immortal!! ppl tend to leave him offerings and build temples in his name because he’s been around for That Long, but he’s just immortal, not a god or Being. (they think he’s god of strife and joy)

- since foolish is canonically a god (??? HELLO) he’s one in this au as well,,,,, even tho i don’t anything about him pensive emoji fist emoji

- bbh is also a Being... he is adoration and fear (hello eggpire community)

- there are four people on the smp who follow specific gods- everyone else is just ur basic twitch prime or channel membership follower. since specific followers are very uncommon nowadays, they’re usually given some sort of ability, and those abilities are usually op if they leave sacrifices. these four are: - dream, follower of Chaos and Control. leaves sacrifices for Control, given admin abilities in return. - techno, follower of Blood. leaves sacrifices for Blood, given immortality (and chat, by accident) in return. - karl, follower of New Beginnings. no sacrifices (given time travel (and memory problems from the time travel)) - sam, follower of Illusions/Power (both aspects). no sacrifices (given perception alteration)

- dreamXD is... not a great god. none of them are, really, but dreamXD is arguably the worst. he plays heavy favorite and gives out abilities if someone so much as drops food by accident at a temple for him. he’s v obsessive and tends to lose control over himself at the slightest hint of things not going his way (irony coming out)

- i have a whole number-system list of how much each person on the server believes in twitch prime... for context of what that means, bbh is a 1.5/4, tommy is a 4/4, fundy is a 4/4, and wilbur was previously a 3/4, now a 0/4. each one has a reason for it (bbh streams on both platforms & is now engaged with the egg, tommy Is Literally A God, fundy was raised on it in a very prime-engrossed enviornment... remember when wilbur came back after nov 16 and said he looked god in the eyes and decided they didn’t exist?)

- tommy’s video where they made the holy lands is canon in this au, but the actual events are pretty different… they were discussing the old books about the ancient religions of prime and channel and how much (if at all) they believed in it. the bit got out of hand and tommy+tubbo proposed the idea of building a church to prime. they were doing it to make their friend happy, but dream and quackity just thought it was for the bit, so they agreed. midway through construction, prime just. descended from the heavens. and walked amongst the mortal men once again. they does not possess dream; rather, they take on a vaguely humanoid form and help them with the construction (blessing the waters that run through the fountain as well as the bell) before leaving.

- the egg is a gross byproduct of dreamXD and The Blood God that spiralled way out of control

- prime and channel are usually associated with bells :] villages will typically have communal bells which everyone is free to use for either god. it’s more common to see a bell that’s specifically dedicated to channel than it is to see one specifically dedicated to prime because the followers of channel are typically less lenient, but it’s far more common to see one dedicated to both of them than either of those options.

- philza got his wings from prime in this au. he no longer has his wings on the smp. interpret that as you wish.

- dream (c!dream, remember, this is an au) is vewy religious in this au. like. excessively so. that’s why he’s so op, why he has access to creative, why he somehow has the time and ability and resources to build shit like his vault or the obsidian walls. he obsesses over Control and Control obsesses over him in return. The other Gods are getting wary.

- on a more lighthearted note, slime and twitch prime are homies. they canonically meet for brunch every other month :]

i’ll add onto this post as i go along and have more things!! so far, though, this is all the important stuff i figured i’d spit out onto here lmao. i have a couple of drabbles written up, but since they’re v short, i’ll probably post them here (and make up a tag head in hands) sometime in the future rather than on ao3!! hope u enjoyed if u read this far <3 suprise hydration check go drink some water!!!

#mcyt #dream smp #dsmp #maybe the tag can be uhhh #deity au?#bro....#if i post this on ao3 the series would be called Golden Boys.......#looks at golden retriever dogs looks at everyone in this au looks back up #they r Golden ur honor #and also sun & video game mechanic gold & honey & golden flower symbolism #FUCK IT THE TAG IS GOLDEN BOYS NOW #Golden Boys AU #dont like that au name????#WHERE R THE ASKERS????#(/j by the way pls i love u i promise)#yeah okay maybe ive been listening to WHERE ARE THE ASKERS for 2 hours #maybe i havent u dont know me #(the answer is yes i have)#k time to stop tagging this smile have a good day ladies and gents and gender yesn't

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anonnie-in-wonderland · 2 years

Text

Home Calls the Heart

chapter: three

Word Count: 6.2k

rating: T (mentions of death and mental illness/depression, a brief moment of social etiquette cringe from reader, who is too awkward for life)

genre: romance | hurt/comfort| magic AU

tags: bts x reader | ot7 x reader | hybrid | poly| FM!reader

Emperor Penguin!Seokjin, Golden Retriever!Taehyung, Coyote!Hoseok, Mountain Lion!Yoongi, Wolfdog!Namjoon, Kingfisher!Jimin, Holland Lop!Jungkook

Author’s Note: Hello everyone, it’s been some time since the last update and I apologize about that but appreciate the patience. The taglist has grown considerably longer so I put it at the bottom. There are about 6 slots left open, but to keep it from getting to be a mile long I will close it down when I hit 50 people. Sorry in advance that I accidentally ended up back on my angst BS again this chap. Next one will likely be fluffier. 😭

prev/next

There was an undeniable awkwardness in the air, and (Y/N) couldn’t help but feel she was entirely to blame. Maybe she should have been more insistent about declining Taehyung’s offer to meet his family. It was evident to her now that they were indeed completely blindsided, though no one was overtly rude about her crashing their dinner.

On the contrary, the black-haired man who had taken one look at her and then fussed to get her a hot cup of tea was trying to make light conversation as he put the finishing touches on the evening meal.

Yoongi— the mountain lion, and Jimin and Taehyung’s hyung— had mostly focused on silently helping him after he shooed off Taehyung and told him to go let the others he had worried know he was back.

Jimin had cast her a small smile and a wave before joining the golden retriever. Which left (Y/N) with the two older men, sitting on a stool at the kitchen bar and feeling painfully in the way despite being physically well removed from the spot they were cooking in.

“Warming up any?” asked the broad-shouldered man, peeking at her from over said shoulder.

(Y/N) was quick to nod, now realizing just how lost she had been in her steaming cup of liquid. “Oh, um yeah, it’s doing the job really well.” She licked her lips, tasting the honey and chamomile of the tea, “Thank you.”

“That’s good. Let me know if you want more. It was probably freezing out there for you in just that sweater.” She had assumed that all of the others Taehyung lived with were hybrids as well, but to be completely honest, she had no idea what species of hybrid this man could be at a glance. And it was far from appropriate to ask when they had only just met.

“Taehyung let me borrow his scarf too.” She put in feebly, shrugging a little bashfully. (Y/N) had never planned to trek through the snow in such flimsy covering, but she had, and she felt foolish for it.

For the first time since resuming his spot next to the other man, Yoongi looked up and scoffed. “Which did exactly what for you? What you needed were layers.”

He was right, of course, but (Y/N) felt a little rankled by his tone. Was he blaming her or was he just gruff by nature?

“I’m sure she didn’t expect our pup to ambush her like that. You know how headstrong and impulsive Tae can be. Then there’s that big blue puppy eyed thing to contend with. It’s not a fair playing field.”

“Right?” (Y/N) agreed, happy someone was aware of the power of that puppy eye agenda. “I don’t think I stood a chance.”

“Try living with him.” He laughed, his full lips pulled into a bright smile. (Y/N) smiled too, a little bit of her nervousness melting away. His dark eyes twinkled, seeming to deem her reaction as a positive response, until something dawned on him. The loud gasp that came from him had Yoongi nearly losing his grip on the handle of the wok he was cooking with.

He gave the black-haired man a glare that went unnoticed. “Oh, I can’t believe I forgot to introduce myself in all this.” He frowned, placing a hand to his chest. “I’m Seokjin, or just Jin. The charming one.” Much to her amusement, he brought his thumb and index finger up to his chin, pushing his lips out a little and wiggling his eyebrows.

(Y/N) wanted to introduce herself as an automatic response, but she was pretty positive he had heard the other boys say her name already. Still, it didn’t hurt to be polite. “(L/N) (Y/N), nice to meet you.” She giggled. “And sorry for turning up unannounced.”

“It’s alright,” Seokjin reassured her, staring down at the meat he had been preparing and then nodding in satisfaction. It smelled heavenly, and despite (Y/N) not wanting to intrude on their dinner, she couldn’t deny that if offered a plate, she would probably eat. From what she could tell they were having stir fried rice and lamb skewers. “It’s not the first time Tae’s gone out and brought a friend back.”

(Y/N) tilted her head curiously at that, hoping the mysterious dog hybrid wasn’t collecting strangers at the park whenever the mood arose. Someone was going to assume he was a kidnapper.

“He brings home injured animals that need looking after every once in a while.” Yoongi clarified. “A whole human is a different story.”

(Y/N) once again felt somewhat unwanted, playing with her empty cup, unsure what to say.

“Don’t mind him, he gets a little flustered with company if he feels unprepared.” Jin rolled his eyes. “He’s probably nervous about you liking his cooking.”

(Y/N) wasn’t so sure it was that simple, but before Yoongi could reply, someone gave an exaggerated sniff, groaning as he sauntered into the kitchen area. “Ohh, lamb’s on the menu tonight.” The girl turned in her seat, trying not to stare too openly as yet another handsome hybrid showed up. In spite of her crappy best efforts, he caught her looking, staring back with intrigued brown eyes. “Hi, TaeTae’s guest, right?”

(Y/N) swallowed, her mouth dry at the warmth he oozed, barely managing a nod. He was wearing a baggy white t-shirt, black joggers and socks with matching slides. His hair—an interesting mixture of rust brown with some intermittent streaks of gray—looked soft, parted in a fringe that showed his forehead.

(Y/N) had never given a great deal of thought about how attractive a forehead could be, but here she was, checking one out. “I’m Hoseok, everybody’s hope.” he winked, two pointed canine ears flicking up. “Including yours now.” Despite his casual greeting, the position of his ears would suggest he was equal parts curious and alert. She couldn’t exactly blame him when a new face showed up unexpectedly in his space.

“(Y-Y/N)…” she waved stiffly, mentally smacking herself for being such an introverted dork at times. Hoseok only grinned a little wider, leaving her awed that his lips naturally formed the shape of a heart when his perfect white teeth were on display.

“Hobi here is our happy pill.” Jin said proudly. “It’s hard to be grumpy with him around. Right, Yoongi-yah?”

Yoongi grumbled something unintelligible, but his eyes were noticeably softer the minute he saw Hoseok, so there was definitely some credence to Jin’s claim.

“I heard a little already from Jimin,” Hoseok said, skirting around behind where she was seated and into the kitchen. “But Taehyung latched onto you at the park, huh?” He reached up into a cabinet and handed Jin a platter. (Y/N) tried not to stare too much as the man piled the plate high with perfectly browned meat.

“Something like that…I was having lunch and I noticed a really pretty golden retriever that was unaccompanied wandering around. When he came over to me I just felt for him I guess,” (Y/N) toyed with an old ring on her pinkie finger, one that had once belonged to her mother. “No one likes being out in the cold all alone.”

(Y/N) wasn’t entirely sure if she was speaking about Taehyung or herself there. It wasn’t a stretch to say her mind was muddled when the hybrid had come trotting over to her.

“You have to admit, following a hybrid you don’t even know back home is kind of risky.” Hoseok tilted his head, eyebrows pulling up as if he was trying to discern what would make her do it.

“We’re nice people,” Seokjin huffed, making quick work of setting the table once Yoongi scraped the rice out of the pan. “(Y/N)’s got nothing to worry about.”

“Not like she knew that when she walked through the door though,” Yoongi turned to her. “In the future, be a little more cautious, for your own sake. The last I checked, small humans like yourself are fragile.”

It sounded well-meaning enough, like concern, in his own way. So (Y/N) chose to take it as a friendly(ish) reminder. “Not that fragile…” she sniffed. “I took a few years of jiu jitsu as a kid. I was a purple belt.”

The feline hybrid stared blankly, as if silently asking what that was supposed to mean to him exactly. Flustered, (Y/N)’s chest deflated, “Right, noted. I’ll be better about paying attention to my surroundings in the future.”

“Okay, okay.” Hoseok sang out, “How about we lay off a little. She’s a guest. No need to go scaring her off, hyung.” In a move that looked incredibly brave from (Y/N)’s vantage point, Hoseok playfully leaned into Yoongi’s face, squishing his cheeks together until they resembled dumplings. For a fleeting second, (Y/N) wanted to coo. At Yoongi. The grumbly, so-far-solemn mountain lion.

His long tail came up, lightly slapping against Hoseok’s wrist, making the other man step back with a fond smile. “Just call the rest, would you? Tell them food’s done.”

“On it!” Hoseok bounced away with a cute little smile and a salute. Jin shook his head, but there was nothing but affection on his face.

“(Y/N), grab a seat,” He pulled out a chair, beckoning her over to the table. (Y/N) blinked, a little surprised. If anything, she would have expected to eat at the counter. There was plenty of space. What if by sitting at the table, she took someone’s seat? No way she was about to put someone out when these men had already let her come in out of the cold, despite her being a total stranger.

Seeming to notice her dilemma, Jin’s eyes grew warm and reassuring. “Don’t worry about taking someone’s spot.” The rectangular table had eight chairs set around it, all of the places set except the seat at the head, something she didn’t feel comfortable commenting on. “Our youngest is probably going to eat upstairs again tonight,” Jin sounded a little disappointed by the prospect, but that too was something (Y/N) was hardly going to pry about. Some people didn’t do well with surprises, like unexpected company at dinner. Who was she to subject someone antisocial or painfully shy to her presence?

Slowly, she slid from her stool at the counter, clutching her empty teacup until Seokjin noticed she still had it. “Oh here,” he took it from her, setting it in the sink, probably thinking he was being nice. Little did he know that the teacup and its happy bunny pattern had been something to physically cling onto, keeping her nerves at bay just slightly.

“Thanks,” she said, not wanting to explain that. (Y/N) took the seat she was directed to, her stomach giving an involuntary gurgle with the meat and bell pepper skewers right in front of her eyes. The rice accompanying the protein and veggies cooked to perfection too.

“Poor thing, you sound hungry.”

(Y/N) blushed. Of course Jin would have heard it. Which meant he was a hybrid after all then. Yoongi likely heard it too. He just didn’t deem it worth commenting on, taking his spot diagonal from hers across the table. Thundering footsteps kept there from being a need for strained attempts at conversation (luckily), Jin’s handsome features puckering into a sour expression as several boys slid through the door all at once, nearly toppling each other over. “Yah, have you all lost your minds, running in my kitchen?”

A chorus of “Sorry hyung,” in different voices had (Y/N) smiling to herself as they filed through the kitchen with more composure. Taehyung made a beeline for her as soon as he saw her, his tail wagging as he plopped down beside her, their shoulders brushing.

His eagerness to be near her eased her nerves just a little, making her feel less awkward as the rest of the hybrids filed in. There was only one she didn’t think she had met, a tall, tanned hybrid with dark rectangular ears similar to Hoseok’s, if not slightly larger. They met eyes, (Y/N) getting swept into his deep, inquisitive gaze.

“Joon-hyung, this is (Y/N).” Jimin introduced, also finding his place at the table. The avian hybrid looked very cozy in a striped long-sleeved shirt that fell over his hands, baggy sweatpants nearly covering his bare feet. From so close, she found his wings twice as gorgeous as before. Such a striking shade of cobalt blue, every feather groomed just so as the feathery appendages stayed tucked against his back. She had never seen a winged hybrid before, come to think of it. A slew of questions she was too shy to ask stayed balanced on the tip of her tongue. Were his wings heavy? Did he have to clean them in a special way? Was it uncomfortable keeping them tucked in like that?

All of these things were pushed to the wayside when she realized the hybrid she didn’t know was talking to her. “Nice to meet you,” he nodded at her, voice deep and expression cordial. “I’m Namjoon.”

“Hi Namjoon,” she swallowed, not sure why her palms felt a bit sweaty. It was probably just that he had such a commanding presence, though she wasn’t uncomfortable. “Likewise.”

As he made his way toward a seat at the table, his black and silver tail swept out when he turned, knocking into and nearly turning over a cup full of liquid there. Only Hoseok’s fast reflexes saved it, Namjoon whirling around with a small gasp, eyes startled and then sheepish. “Oh I…I didn’t mean to do that.” He muttered, causing the man beside him to laugh brightly, patting his arm. “We know, Joonie.”

“Just sit down.” Yoongi clicked his tongue.

The burly hybrid quickly lowered into his seat, looking as though he was trying not to draw further attention to himself. His shoulders were hunched in and his ears were down as he picked up his cup with concentration and took a delicate sip. (Y/N) softened, his display of clumsiness cutting his intimidation factor cleanly in half. Besides, they had only just met, and he hadn’t done anything to her besides tell her his name. The young woman mentally scolded herself for letting her nerves get the best of her.

Jin whisked by out of the kitchen holding a plate of food. “I’ll take Jungkook his dinner.” He announced, “There better be enough for me when I get back! And (Y/N) be sure to go ahead and dig in. You have to be quick when you’re eating with a bunch of animals.”

She blinked, “Okay…”

“I’ll help you,” Taehyung offered, taking her plate for her and beginning to put rice on it. He added three lamb skewers to it and presented the food to her with proud eyes.

“T-Thanks, it looks great.” (Y/N) directed the compliment at Yoongi as she carefully took the plate. He nodded silently, eating the fruits of his and Seokjin’s labor.

Although she readied her chopsticks, (Y/N) still paused, having the sense of having barged in on their quiet family meal, despite the circumstances that had brought her to their doorstep.

“Everything okay?” It was Jimin who’d asked, tilting his head in her direction curiously as he bit into the skewer of lamb in his hand.

It felt like all eyes drifted her way, and (Y/N) bobbed her head in a nod, clearing her throat. “Uh it’s just that,” she laughed nervously. “I’m a vegetarian.”

All the sounds of activity around the table stopped, the hybrids staring with bulging eyes, except Yoongi, who lifted a brow.

“She can’t eat this, hyung,” Taehyung reached for her plate, expression serious. “What else do we have that’s—”

Before he could completely tug it away, (Y/N) grabbed his wrist, wincing. “Sorry, sorry. That was just…it was a really crappy attempt at a joke. I’m not a vegetarian. I’m just an awkward dumbass that didn’t know how to explain I was too nervous to take a bite. I didn’t know what to say and I blurted that out, so just…sorry.”

As the hybrids processed her words, everyone sank back into their chairs, panic fading. “Some joke.” Yoongi huffed.

“So…you like bad jokes?” Taehyung asked thoughtfully. “How do you feel about puns?”

(Y/N) shrugged, “I’m not eggxactly opposed to a good one.”

Several of the men groaned, Hoseok chuckling across the table from her. “Oh, Jin’s gonna be over the moon excited.”

Any lingering awkwardness and tension died down, the sounds of eating filling the room. Taking that as her cue, (Y/N) tentatively dug in, feeling self-conscious even as the others around her ate heartily. That first bite of the tender lamb was like her tongue being serenaded by the perfect blend of flavors. It had been so long since she’d had any, especially seasoned to perfection. Her pleasure must have been written clearly across her face, the tip of her a finger startling her as it poked her bulging cheek. Taehyung watched her in amusement, a knowing look in his eyes. “Good, right?”

“Uh-huh,” If there was one thing bound to make her lose any bashfulness with new people, it was great tasting food. “So good,” Was she drooling? Hopefully not. It was the kind of meal that tasted so amazing that it was tempting to go for another big bite before the first had even been chewed and swallowed. “Compliments to the chefs.”

“You like it?” Jin had stepped back into the kitchen, sans the plate he had been carrying, at that exact moment. “It’s nothing much really.”

“Listen to him, pretending to be modest.” Namjoon smirked. “We all know you’re proud of your cooking, hyung. Well, (Y/N) didn’t, but now she does.”

“Aish,” Jin scolded, “Don’t tell on your hyung! People like a little feigned modesty every now and then.”

(Y/N) found herself further relaxed, taking a sip of the juice she’d been given. Taehyung sighed happily, “This is going better than I thought it would. See, (Y/N)? Everything’s fine.”

“Speaking of (Y/N), not to put you on the spot, but I still have a few questions.” Namjoon spoke again, and the girl urged him to go on with a nod. “When did you meet Taehyung? I thought we knew all of his friends, and most are, well…hybrids.”

Taking her time wiping sauce from the corner of her mouth, (Y/N) tried to formulate a proper answer, sensing that more than just Namjoon was curious about her. “I was having lunch by myself in the park earlier today, and I noticed a pretty dog walking around, looking for someone to play with.”

Yoongi fixed Taehyung with a pointed stare at this. “Wandering up to strangers without wearing your collar? Do you realize what the consequences of pulling a stunt like that could be?”

Taehyung’s ears folded down against his fluffy hair, avoiding his hyung’s eyes. “It was the easiest test I could think of to find a nice human. I figured I’d know a good one when I found them,”

“Why were you looking for a ‘nice human’?” Hoseok prodded, shooting (Y/N) a quick smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Whatever kind of animal instincts he had, they seemed to be on alert in regards to her. “Not that you don’t seem like one.”

“No, no I get it,” (Y/N) assured, putting a bit more rice in her mouth. “I turned up at your house kinda suddenly.”

“Answer the question, pup.” Yoongi said.

(Y/N) could feel Jimin tense up beside her, his wings making a quiet sound as he shuffled in his seat.

“I wanted…to find one who’d be willing to join our family.” He confessed. “Nothing’s been the same without Gramps.” His deep voice cracked, raw with emotion. “So I just thought maybe…”

“…Are you serious?” Yoongi said. (Y/N) had been staring at her plate, but she risked a peek in his direction, and immediately wished she hadn’t. Those limpid feline eyes, so green, were shiny with emotion. Rage? Sadness? Shock? All of the above? It was hard to say. “He’s been dead one fucking week, and you bring someone home with the intention of replacing him, without even consulting us?”

Just like that, all the tension taut enough to steal the air from her lungs was back. Taehyung looked ready to get up as Yoongi made to leave the table. “Hyung, it’s not like that—”

Yoongi rounded on him with startling grace. “Then tell me what it is like, Taehyung.” The big cat demanded. “Tell me what was going through your head, to feel the need to rush out and drag home some weird girl, sit her down at our table, and tell us this out of the blue.”

(Y/N) couldn’t look at a single one of them. Hearing that she had been brought to visit so soon after what sounded like a severe loss made her feel immensely guilty. The eighth spot that wasn’t set, Taehyung’s loneliness and sadness when she touched him, the wariness some of the hybrids displayed towards her. It all made sense. They were fresh in their mourning, and here she was, an intruder who had no right to be among them.

“You’ve got to admit, you didn’t think it out.” Hoseok’s voice wasn’t as sharp as Yoongi’s, but it caused her to flinch nonetheless. There was an undercurrent of disappointment that ate into (Y/N) even if it might not have been directed at her. “Gramps was…he was an amazing human. We all know that. What other person would be crazy enough and compassionate enough to take in a group like us, and raise us like his own kids?”

“I’m not trying to replace him at all!” Taehyung sounded so desperate for them to understand, his words pleading. “I swear I’m not. I know how much he meant to us,” he was starting to tear up, his pain, all their pain making (Y/N) rub at her chest. Sometimes, when animals in the vicinity were hurting enough, she didn’t need to touch them to feel their emotions. Apparently it was the same for hybrids. The grief all of them had over their departed caregiver was obvious, a palpable weight in her chest. “He saved me that day…he meant everything to me too.” As he broke down, scrubbing at his eyes as he began to sob, Jimin stood, walking around (Y/N)’s seat and encircling him in a fierce hug, his wings spreading a little to shelter his friend.

“Did you know?”

The tight, raspy voice belonging to Yoongi startled her from her dazed state of silence.

“Did I…know?” She croaked.

“That he wanted you to join our family? Did you know we’d only just lost our human?” He clarified. “I thought it was weird, you just up and following our pup home. I know Tae’s charming, but it was so abrupt.”

Throat itching, wrapped up in all the melancholy that had overtaken the six of them, (Y/N) felt the need to speak up, explain her side of things. She hadn’t meant to be hurt them, wasn’t trying to be complicit in rubbing salt in what she now knew to only be a week old wound. From losing Ha-Kun, (Y/N) was perfectly aware that the loss of someone dear took much, much longer to start closing than that. Right now their anguish was an exposed nerve, and she had stepped on it.

“I…um, yeah.” (Y/N) admitted, sounding tiny even to herself. But, undoubtedly they heard her just fine. “He told me not long after we met.” Yoongi’s features curled in disdain. “But I didn’t come here because I agreed.” she rushed to add, “It’s not because I’m trying to replace anyone. I would never diminish the grief you must all be feeling by assuming I could come in and sweep away the memory of a man who was clearly very dear to you all.”

“It’s not…not (Y/N)’s fault…” Taehyung lifted his face from Jimin’s neck to explain. “I was pushy. M’ sorry hyungs…Jiminie…I didn’t think about your feelings. And I’m sorry to you too, (Y/N), for dragging you into this.” He whimpered, and without thinking too much, (Y/N) reached over and placed a reassuring hand on his arm.

“Well, I still agreed to come home with you, didn’t I?” she mumbled. “I thought I could help you deal with some of that pain I felt, but that might have been really presumptuous of me. I didn’t even know the full situation.” Rising to her feet, she bowed deeply to all of them. “I can’t thank any of you enough for letting me into your home, and even feeding me. I think I’ve done enough harm, though. I should go.”

“No!” Taehyung cried, snagging her sleeve as she pushed in her chair.

“Taehyung, I’m sorry, but I—”

“Wait,” Namjoon’s commanding tone was enough to halt her in her tracks. “What did you mean when you said some of the pain you felt?”

(Y/N) hadn’t even realized her slip. Not that her power was anything she necessarily hid. But it also wasn’t something she went around volunteering at random. However, given that it was largely responsible for how she had ended up in her current predicament, maybe it was best to come completely clean.

“Oh, that’s because I kinda…have a special ability.” Her eyes darted from one male to the next, gauging their general reaction. “You know, magic. Empathic magic. Since I was little, I’ve been able to feel and understand the emotions of animals.”

Yoongi narrowed his eyes, “We’re not—”

“And hybrids too, I think.”

“So when we met at the park…” Taehyung was clearly beginning to piece it together. “You…you…”

“I felt what you did.” (Y/N) confirmed, a warm tear sliding from her eye.“I couldn’t leave you like that, so I told myself whatever I could do to step in and help, I would. I kind of do it for a living. I’m an animal behaviorist. I try to help animals express themselves and guide people towards understanding their emotions.”

“I’ve read about humans like you.” Namjoon informed her. “They’re pretty rare these days. Only something like one in every two hundred thousand has a gift, right?”

“Something like that.” (Y/N) said lightly, gripping the back of her chair hard, instincts still urging her to run away. “I’ve never met anyone else with a gift in my life, to be honest.” Pausing, she considered another possibility, “Or maybe I have, and they were being discreet.”

“Either way, none of us have ever met someone like you before.” Hoseok said.

“Yep, I’m not a garden-variety weirdo.” she joked weakly. “I’m a rare weirdo.”

That broke the tension, just a little, several of the hybrids staring in soft amusement. “Anyway, I’m really sorry for any trouble I might’ve caused, and sorry for making dinner…this.” she gestured around. “I uh, my condolences too, for your loss.”

“Thank you.” Seokjin smiled.

(Y/N) scrambled away from the table, heart hammering as she felt Taehyung’s burning stare follow her. ‘I know I gave up before I even tried. I’m sorry I let you believe I was someone special who could help.’

Surprisingly, it wasn’t the golden retriever—who looked every bit the kicked puppy—that called out to her first.

“(Y/N), hold on.” Jin approached slowly, as if trying not to corner a startled animal. She blinked. Wow, she must look really uncomfortable and desperate to escape. “How far away do you live? There’s supposed to be a cold front with heavier snowfall coming tonight. If you plan to walk, then I’m going to have to put my foot down.”

Walking back to the parking lot to retrieve her car was exactly what she had planned to do. “I’m sure it’s not too bad.” She tried, but the older man was having none of it.

“It’s too dangerous, and you don’t even have a proper coat or boots.” Seokjin disputed, “You aren’t going.”

“Listen to Jin,” Yoongi huffed. “If you think you caused so much trouble now, think of how much more you’d be causing if you went out in that storm and got lost or froze to death. This one’s already about to cry.” He pointed to Taehyung, who indeed appeared ready to shed tears.

“Stay the night.” Jin offered, patting her shoulder. “I’m sure Tae would like that.”

Taehyung’s tail was wagging hard, his sterling blue eyes hopeful as he remained beside Jimin. “C’mon (Y/N), at least until the storm passes?”

(Y/N) mentally weighed her options, glancing out the kitchen window to see the snow coming down in a flurry. No way would she be able to see to make it back to her car safely. It would be just fine parked where it was overnight. No one was going to risk getting buried in the snow to go bother it. “You make a tempting offer gentlemen,” she finally conceded. “I don’t think I have much choice.”

“Now that that’s sorted out, everybody sit down.” Jin ordered, shooing everyone who had stood back toward the table. “If my cooking isn’t appreciated, I’ll be the next person crying.”

Taehyung maintained a firm grip on one of her hands throughout the rest of the meal, but after the dramatic turn things had taken there, the empath couldn’t find it in herself to complain.

“Seriously, I don’t have any trouble sleeping on the couch downstairs.” (Y/N) uselessly repeated for the fourth time. It was pointless, because Seokjin was hearing none of it.

“Oh hush,” he rolled his eyes. “The couch is alright for naps, but it can get a little drafty down there in the winter. I could turn on the fireplace,” he considered, turning down the sheets. “But wouldn’t you rather be nice and cozy up here?” The man, who she had found out was also a bird hybrid, patted the bed enticingly.

“It looks amazing, especially after the long day I’ve had, don’t get me wrong,” (Y/N) assured him, “It’s just…this is clearly someone’s bedroom.” The space was far too lived in to think otherwise. There was an open sketchbook with doodles on the writing desk near the bedroom’s window, and a vintage camera close to it. Whoever owned the device knew what they were doing, a cork board of pinned photos of happy smiling faces and serene skylines displayed there. Not to mention the partially opened closet full of male clothes and the set of weights in the corner. “Where are they going to sleep?”

“Jungkookie? Don’t worry about him. He’s sleeping down the hall tonight anyway.” Jin explained. “He knows we have a guest, and I don’t think he’ll be too upset about you using his room for the night,” Finished switching out the sheets, the bird hybrid tucked them neatly away in a dresser drawer.

“The more of your hospitality I use up, the worse I feel.” (Y/N) perched herself on the edge of the bed, having to silently admit that it was very comfy. If it felt this good just to sit down on it, laying there on her back was bound to feel even better.

Seokjin sat beside her, placing his hands on her shoulders to focus her attention on him. “(Y/N), it’s alright,” he said earnestly. “I know things got…intense downstairs. And it’s true we were caught off guard. But that doesn’t mean we’re putting you out in the cold just because Taehyung did something impulsive. It’s not your fault. You didn’t do anything wrong, so stop sulking.” Her heart skipped a beat as he leaned in a little, “In fact, stare into my handsome face until it’s imprinted into your head. Then when you fall asleep, you’re guaranteed to have good dreams.”

(Y/N) gave an unattractive snort, quickly covering her lips and then tittering into her hand. Seokjin said it like he was trying to hypnotize her into obeying. What a goofball.

“Yah, there’s nothing funny about a face this good looking.” He fussed, “Are you rejecting my offer?”

“Of course I’d never turn down an offer so generous.” (Y/N) sobered, though it was hard to fight the grin edging back onto her lips. “A face that beautiful, and I get to look at it for free? Lucky me.”

“That’s what I’m saying.” Jin agreed. In hindsight, him being an emperor penguin made a lot of sense. He carried himself with a certain self-assured elegance. “Anyway, you should be all set now. There’s a bathroom just down the hall to the left if you want to shower before bed.”

He got up to leave, telling her where he would be if she found she needed anything else in the middle of the night. (Y/N) was grateful, but imposing again was the last thing she planned to do. She would cause as little disruption as possible and then trekk back to her car after saying the proper goodbyes in the morning.

Although…a hot shower might help with her nervous energy. (Y/N) looked down at herself with a light frown. If she wanted to shower she would have to put the same clothes back on for the night… Sighing heavily, the girl decided maybe she wasn’t getting that shower after all. Her fingers had only just started to peel back the sheets when a knock came at the door. Snapping upright, she tried to tamp down the unnecessary feeling of guilt, like she was somewhere she shouldn’t be. “C-Come in,” she called.

The door creaked open, a blue head slowly peeking in. (Y/N) met Jimin’s eyes, a little smile on his face. “Good, you’re still awake. I wanted to bring you these,” he trotted in the room with fabric draped over his arm, holding it out to her. “To borrow for the night.”

(Y/N) carefully accepted the bundle, realizing he had brought her a pajama set. Unfolding them and holding them out, she surmised it should fit pretty well. Jimin was taller but there shouldn’t be any issues of them being too large.

“You didn’t have to,” she said, “I could have just slept in what I’m wearing.”

“You could’ve, but now you don’t have to.” The hybrid insisted, his tone edging on sassy.

“Well thanks,” (Y/N) relented easily, because truth be told she still wanted that shower and now she had a change of clothes. “I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome,” When he smiled, his cheeks were so cute. “Tae wanted to come say goodnight anyway, but he’s busy with the hyungs. So I said I’d do it.”

(Y/N) winced in sympathy for the poor dog hybrid. “How’s he holding up? They’re not going too hard on him, are they?”

“My hearing isn't as good as some of the others, but I know he’s getting an earful.” Jimin revealed, playing with his fingers. “Oh, but don’t worry about it,” he added when he saw her frown. “It’s TaeTae, so they won’t be mad for too long.”

(Y/N) supposed that was all she could hope for. At the end of the day, Taehyung had been trying to help his family, as unorthodox as his idea was.

Jimin looked back, eyeing the door he’d left cracked, and then studying her with big, soft eyes. Not for the first time, (Y/N) was mesmerized by how positively angelic he was. “Can I tell you something?”

(Y/N) was so captivated by how pretty he was, she nodded without hesitation. He could tell her about the stock market report and she would listen dutifully. “Keep it just between us…” he started, licking his lips, “But I’m glad you’re here. I hope you can help Jungkookie, and the hyungs too.”

“I’m not,” (Y/N) hesitated, “Sure they really want my help. And if you mean the Jungkook that Jin mentioned, I haven’t even met him.”

“You might if you want to stick around…” he whispered, staring down at his slipper clad feet. “Gramps was home. Some of us don’t remember where we came from before, and some of us got ripped away from our families and then tossed around like property up for grabs. Gramps was never like that. Maybe he had magic too. He just felt that special.” (Y/N) listened solemnly, letting Jimin wipe at his watery eyes. “I understand what Tae was trying to do.”

Tentatively, (Y/N) stuck out her hand. “I don’t know if I can become your human so suddenly, but would it be alright if I became your friend?”

His face lit up, and (Y/N) thought she might melt at the way his eyes disappeared into his full cheeks when he was beaming. “That’s perfect.” He said, accepting her hand.

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