#my calico will play with anything but these are the only things my gray boy will touch and hes obsessed with them | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

danifics18 · 4 years

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↪ NCT Dream as Cat Hybrids ↩

Warnings : None Rated: Fluff

A/N: This is my first post, from my o.g. writing blog, I hope everyone enjoys it!

General Masterlist NCT Masterlist

Available Under the Cut

Mark:

If he were a full cat, he would be a Tuxido cat- but he’s not a full cat, so the only fur that is visible are on his (slightly larger than most) ears and slim tail.

Both of his ears are black, and his tail is black with white dots scattered.

Looks up to his elder cat friends- especially Johnny but don’t let Ten hear that

Highly stressed bc he wants to act like a kitten still but he also wants to be an adult™️ :(

Once tried to shove his tail in Haechan’s mouth bc he was being … well Haechan was being Haechan … and got his tail bit

A pretty tamed dude

But he does get really excited

But he’s also super shy around strangers

He’s also the scariest one out of the younger ones, well when he’s mad anyways

Markhyuck 2k17 summer fight, anyone?

Once he’s calmed down, he does go right back to being really laid back tho

You can usually find him catching some Z’s in front of a window where he sunbathes

Tbh if you try to annoy him with asking stereotypical questions about Canada, he’ll hiss at you and then walk off sulking probably to go tell Johnny

Likes to hide the fact that he LOVES his ears being scratched

He does tons to help out both the younger ones, and the older ones, so he’s a stressed out kitty

Renjun :

He’s a fluffy gray boy

Gray little ears with a bit of tuft at the ends and the FLUFFIEST tail

Definitely a cutie

Tries extra hard to take care of the younger boys

Has to remind Chenle to retract his claws still

Gave up on trying to teach Jisung how to retract his claws so that’s Taeyong’s job now

Likes to cuddle with chinaline when he misses home

Used to ask you to cook authentic Chinese food but you would worry too much bc “Can hybrids even eat normal food?? Do you guys have special diets?? I don’t want you guys getting sick!!” So he goes to ask Kun to cook instead.

A blushing boy when you compliment him.

Please help this boy with his tail!! It’s so fluffy and it’s a lot for even him to handle!

The sweetest™️

One time you had a really bad backache and you rllly wanted a massage, so what does this boy do?

You know how cats do that kneading thing on blankets, or anything soft?

Well he was doing that to your back

You thought it was weird, bc he was using his claws, but it felt v nice(?)

After his baths he usually asks you to help comb out his tail while he combs his hair to get out any extra tangles

He is also the reason why no one lets their tails air dry- they have to be dried via blowdryer, since his tail will literally take most of the day to dry on its own

Jeno:

A much lighter gray than Renjun- almost a white color fur

Has black stripes on the bottom of his tail

Haechan calls him a gray honey bee bc of his tail

It took him a while to get used to you

Like for the longest time you thought he hated you, bc he would walk into a room, look at you, and then leave

Wouldn’t really talk to you either, just the basic “hello” and “thank you”

He didn’t hate you

He just didn’t know how to approach you

At first he kind of sized you up, bc you’re a stranger, but after that he was just a shy boi

The times that he walked into a room, stared at you, and then walked out? He was thinking of a way to talk to you- but again, he’s a shy one

He rlly liked how ultra kind you are, so he does tiny things around the house to make your day so much better and easier.

Even if it means tricking chenle and jisung into taking actual baths ( those poor boys don’t care for water yet )

He finally gave up on trying to approach you, so he did what most cats do.

He plopped his head on your lap, and nudged his head towards your hand, until you got the hint to scratch his ears.

After that he started to talk to you a lot more

And now he’s super talkative

He likes sunbathing with mark

Tried to teach you how to climb a tree once

But quickly decided that was a bad idea after you fell off a low branch.

He forgot you don’t have those cat instincts.

He will purposely do something rlly dumb so Haechan will stop roasting you, and roast him instead

This boy is a blessing

Haechan :

An orange boy

Just a lot of orange fur going on

Has definitely tried to dye his fur purple one time

But the color didn’t rlly last long

So he sticks to just dying the human hair in his head

Had you make tiny little shower caps for his ears- and all the boys demand little ear shower caps now

He only accepts warm food

Doesn’t rlly like bathes- but Yuta threatened that if he didn’t take a bath, that he would assist you in giving him a bath.

So Haechan quickly decided he didn’t mind bathes anymore

Haechan likes to give you trouble

Not bc he’s a rude cat

But he feels like it makes you guys closer

And you don’t seem to mind

He accidentally wakes people up at night bc sometimes he’ll just start singing at the top of his lungs

Which he’s a good singer ( we all know that )

But Haechan, it’s 3am, go to bed!

You like watching him dance

One time he was dancing, and his tail was swaying so much that Jisung attacked it.

Bit Mark’s tail

His partner in crime is Jaemin

They set up a lot of pranks around the house

One time they put a bucket of ice water on top of a door, and waited for someone to walk through that door.

It was Doyoung, going in there to collect dirty clothes.

Well, long story short, the boys did their own laundry for a good month and a half- and they also hid from Doyoung for about a week.

Likes to set up movie nights and living room sleepovers so he has the excuse to cuddle with everyone.

Definitely a handful, but he’s worth it.

Jaemin:

a calico

from what you know he is a sweet boy

kind of devious at times

pretty accident prone

partners in crime with Haechan

still can’t look Doyoung in the eyes

extremely talkative

highkey reminds you of a brother

he has no problem with using aeygo to get stuff ( esp food and video games )

tried teaching you how to play video games once, but gave up v quickly after you wouldn’t stop asking so many questions about “why does this character have blue hair? is it hereditary?” Jaemin doesn’t question why his games have certain features

highkey loves pancakes

v scared of storms

one night he scared you by crawling into bed with you, just after you got done watching a scary movie on your phone

he likes talking about the world’s wonders with you

if you can’t find him in his room or with one of the other dreamies, he’s probably in the forest on a scavenger hunt

if he weren’t a hybrid, you’d think he was a forest elf

Chenle:

a white boi with a white fluffy tail

highkey does not like water

gets mad at jeno for tricking him into a bath

a ball of energy

Night singer # 2

once had a singing battle with Haechan over who could sing the highest notes

the neighbors ended up calling the cops bc they thought someone, more like something, got hurt

it was awkward having to explain to the cops at 4 am, in your pj’s, that there was no one hurt, just two boys who don’t know what sleeping at a normal time was

thankfully you only got a warning, but you definitely made sure to give those two boys an earful, and extra chores for a month.

although they both have a room, him and Jisung both fight over who gets to sleep with you.

usually Jisung sleeps on the side of you and Chenle sleeps on top of you

you are the bed

But come morning, we all know that it’s one dog/cat pile on you

sometimes the other dreamies + hyungs will join in, until Taeyoung straightens them out, that is

he still needs to be reminded to retract his claws, or he’ll get stuck to everything!

over all needs a lot of guidance still

and he appreciates you a ton!!

Jisung:

has reddish brown fur

the youngest

still pretty clingy

but pretty wise

hates bathes

hasn’t fully learnt how to retract his claws yet

he might act like a little shit, but he loves and appreciates everyone so much

such an agile boy

spends a lot of time with Ten learning how to dance better, and learning neat little tricks

loves climbing trees with Jeno

spends a lot of time with Haechan and Jaemin playing video games

his bed is actually used for his stuffed animals that partially why he sleeps with you

he just also really likes the company

he really likes the snow, and the way it cronches when you walk on it

he feels super bad when he accidentally scratches someone

one time you had to help him put his shirt on correctly for school bc all the other boys had already left for school, or just to do what ever it is that hybrids do, and he couldn’t retract his claws, and got his claws stuck in his shirt

he got super embarrassed, but you were fine, you reassured him that it happens, and told him that Taeil will do that sometimes

and he was shook bc Taeil?? The oldest still gets his claws stuck in his clothes?

it made him feel 10000x better

but do know that he teased Taeil a tiny bit, but Taeil let him, bc he didn’t mind getting teased if it made Jisung feel better.

wow a truly loving family <3

#nct dream #nct dream blurb #nct dream hybrid #nct #nct cat hybrid

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smlyds · 4 years

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Sam x Reader (stardew valley)

Dandelion

Chapter 3

The next day, I woke up in the early morning and planted my new seeds and watered my crops. I also noticed I had some mail. One was a fifty dollar check for some sap and fiber I sold the day before and a letter from the joja mart in the east side of the town. I put the money in my wallet and decided to go to the town again to see if anyone had posted a request. The walk was as peaceful as the day before with the morning light shining through the trees, the birds singing and the quiet patting of my feet in the soft dirt. When I reached the town, I looked at my watch and realized it was still really early, only 8:26. That meant nothing would be open for another half an hour. I sighed and continued to the bulletin board with the calendar and request section. On the requests, a small paper was pinned that said,

If it’s not too much trouble, I would like someone to bring me a Joja Cola after my shift at Joja Mart. I will give you 3 dollars. Bring it to me at my house around 2:30! Thanks!

-Sam

I took it down and took and put it in my journal, deciding to buy a cola from the saloon for him. I still had about 6 hours until then, though, so I decided to spend some time at the beach, which lay at the southern end of the town. I walked through the town square, then the small graveyard and to the bridge over the river that led to the beach. It was a very nice beach. A small cabin was built in one corner, where Elliot lived. The sunlight shimmered off the water as waves crashed against the sand. A fishing dock stretched into the ocean, and a small building was built and the far end of it. I walked around the beach and found some shells, which I placed in my backpack, then decided to see what the building was at the end of the dock. I walked down it, the old wood creaking and bending slightly under my weight, which made me uneasy. When I reached it, I opened the door to see a small fishing shop. It had bait, fish and fishing poles all over. At the end of the small room, behind a counter, a tall man with a gray beard and a red hat and jacket stood.

“Hello there! Yer’ new here aren’tcha?” He asked.

“Yes, I’m (y/n),” I said.

“Well I’m Willy. It’s good to meet’cha!” He said with a hearty laugh. “So, d’you have a fishin’ pole?”

“No, I can’t say I do,” I responded, hoping he wouldn’t try to convince me to buy one. I was really bad at refusing things, so I knew I would spend what little money I had on a fancy fishing pole if he suggested I do.

“I just got a nice fiberglass pole, so If you’d like, ya can have me old bamboo pole,” he said, picking up the bamboo fishing pole he had referred too.

“Oh, I would feel bad to take that,” I said, though I did want it.

“I don’t need it, so there’s no reason to feel bad,” he said, handing it to me, and J took it.

“Are you sure it’s alright?” I asked, to which he replied with a smile and a nod. “Okay! I guess I will go fish then!” I said, walking out the door. I then proceeded to fish until 2:10, getting tons of great catches I could sell, then left the beach and bought a Joja Cola to bring Sam. After buying it, I checked my watch and saw that it was 2:25, so I walked quickly to Sam’s house, and thoughtlessly knocked on the door, taking out the note with the request. Today, a young boy with reddish hair and brown eyes who seemed to be about 7 answered the door.

“Hello stranger!” he said.

“Hi! Is Sam here?” I asked the boy.

“Yeah, I will go get him,” the boy responded, going back into the house. A moment later Sam stepped out, and I felt myself get a little nervous.

“Hey there Farmer!” He said in a bright and cheery tone.

“U-um, hi,” I said awkwardly. “I saw your request on the bulletin board.” I said, handing him the Joja Cola.

“Oh, cool! I’ll go get my wallet,” he said, almost going back inside.

“You don’t need to pay me, it was only a dollar,” I said quickly.

“Well, on the request, I said I would, so I am going to stick to that,” he said with a smile.

“Well, then I will just use that 3 dollars to buy you a pizza or something,” I said stubbornly.

“Alright, then let’s get some pizza, on me.”

“Huh?”

“I will go get my wallet,” he said, smirking at me and going inside. After a moment, I processed what he had suggested and started to blush. He quickly came outside and said, “alright, let’s go to the Saloon!”

“A-alright,” I said, walking with him down the street and through the town square to the Saloon. “Also, let’s sit at the bar, because the chairs are tall and it’s more fun that way.”

I smiled at that suggestion, as I always felt the same way when picking where to sit.

“Thank you, for the pizza,” I said quietly, still blushing, but trying my best to hide it.

“No problem! This seemed like a good opportunity to make a new friend so I thought I should take it,” he said happily. He quickly ordered a pizza from the Saloon’s owner, Gus.

“So, have you lived here your whole life?” I asked in an attempt to make small talk.

“Nope, I moved here from Zuzu City about 6 years ago,” Sam said.

“Oh really? Do you prefer it here,” I asked curiously.

“I think I probably prefer the city. Things seem to move slower here. There are some nice things though,” he said, pausing before continuing. “I might move back to the city once I have enough money saved.”

“That makes sense. I guess the country isn’t for everyone,” I said, a little disappointed.

“Of course, that’s just a maybe right now. I might stay. Anyways, why did you move here?” Sam asked.

“I got tired of working an office job and remembered a letter my grandfather left me that he said to read when I was tired of modern life, and it had the will to the farm, so I decided to pack my bags and go,” I said, resting my chin on my hands.

“Wow! I wish I could do something as spontaneously as that,” he said, seeming amazed, which didn’t make sense to me. “I couldn’t do that though,” he said, looking a little sad.

“It hasn’t been all that great, so don’t worry to much about the idea of it. If anything, I wish I had planned more,” I said in response.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right! It does seem like it would be kind of stressful,” he said with a laugh, his mood restored. I smiled.

“Here’s your pizza!” Gus said, placing a medium sized pizza between the two of us with two small plates.

“Thanks Gus!” Sam said happily. “Pizza is my favorite,” he said, taking a slice. I got one as well and took a bite.

“Wow! That’s really good!” I said, taking another bite.

“Yeah! Gus’s pizza is the best,” he said, already having eaten half of his slice, sauce smeared on his lips. I let out a small giggle. He laughed and said, “Y’know, you’re a lot of fun! We should hang out more!” I blushed and continued eating my pizza. We spent the rest of the day talking about random things, and I learned a few things about Sam, like how his favorite color is blue, he plays guitar and sings, his favorite drink is Joja Cola and that he has a younger brother named Vincent.

I spent the remainder of the day in my room doodling and thinking about how much fun I’d had with Sam. I hoped we would be able to do something like that again. With that thought, I went to sleep.

I woke up the next morning, the sun shining through the window of my one room house. It felt so serene as I stood up from my bed, which loudly creaked in reaction. I spent the morning farming and weeding, only to remember I needed to meet Emily at 10:30 with only 15 minutes to make it to town. Panicked, I ran down the path to town and made it to her house on time, my breath uneven and shallow. I looked at my watch, which read 10:28, and knocked on the door. A girl with blonde hair answered.

“Who’re you?” She said in a rude tone.

“I’m (y/n),” I said, pausing to breathe. “I’m here to have tea with Emily.”

“Oh, okay I guess, come inside and I’ll get her.” I walked in and took my boots off, looking around. It was decorated normally, with a bookshelf, and a coffee table which was surrounded by a small couch and a chair. The blonde girl, who had failed to introduce herself, walked to another room and came back a moment later with Emily.

“Hello, (y/n)!” She said, smiling cheerfully, bright red lipstick lining her small lips. “Take a seat. Oh! What’s your favorite kind of tea?”

“Thank you, I like peppermint tea. I hope that’s alright,” I said, sitting on a yellow chair next to the coffee table.

“I like peppermint tea, so it won’t be an issue. Haley, would you mind making the tea? I wouldn’t want to leave (y/n) by herself to wait,” She said to the blonde girl.

“Fine,” she said, rolling her eyes and going back into the room she went to to get Emily.

“Sorry about her, she can be kind of rude. She’s my younger sister Haley, by the way,” Emily said, sitting on the small couch.

“She’s been fine, so it’s really no problem,” I said, feeling a little awkward.

“So, how are you liking Stardew Valley?” She asked.

“It’s nice here. Most of the people are very friendly, and farming has been a lot better than I expected,” I said in response.

“That’s good! We only moved here about 5 years ago,” She said.

“Oh really? Where did you move from?” I asked.

“Calico desert. It’s a lovely place,” She said, looking nostalgic.

“I’m sure it is,” I said. “I just moved from the city.”

“I can’t blame you for that. I’ve never liked the city. Too harmful to the environment,” She said in a serious tone, and Haley came in, setting out tea down. I quickly picked up my cup.

“That makes sense,” I said in response.

“Have you made any friends here yet,” Emily asked.

“Kind of,” I said, pausing for a moment. “Jodi is nice. I talked to her a bit. Also Sam is... nice,” I said, my cheeks warming as J looked into my tea. Emily giggled at me.

“I suppose you could say that. Sam is a good guy,” She said, smiling at me. I could feel my heart beat a little faster.

“Yeah. He got me pizza yesterday. It was so much fun,” I responded enthusiastically. Emily giggled again, and I started to take a sip of my tea.

“I hope I’m not overstepping any bounds, since we aren’t close friends or anything yet, but do you have a crush on Sam?” Hearing her words, I immediately choked on my tea and started blushing immensely . “Ah, sorry, are you okay?” Emily asked, sounding a bit worried. I coughed a few times.

“Y-yeah, I’m okay,” I said, though I was very embarrassed. “Also, your question was fine. I don’t think I have a crush on him, considering I barely know him,” I answered, but in that moment I knew I was lying through my teeth.

“Alrighty, if you say so,” Emily replied suspiciously. I could feel heat rising to my ears.

“Well, I have to go,” I said, downing my tea and setting the cup down. Emily laughed at me.

“Bye, then,” She said as I walked out of the door. I closed it behind me, closing my eyes to take a deep breath, only to be met by those gorgeous green eyes with blue and yellow specks. “S-Sam!” I shouted in surprise.

“Hey there, (y/n)!” He said cheerfully. I felt embarrassed knowing my face was still bright red. “Are you alright?”

“O-Oh, yeah, it’s just a bit hot,” I said, fanning myself, even though I thought it was very nice out.

“It is a bit hot. Anyway, I’m on my way to hang out with Abigail and Sebastian, so I gotta go! Bye, farmer,” He said happily, starting to jog away. I felt a pang of jealousy, wishing I could hang out with them too.

“Bye!” I said, giving him a weak wave.

“Don’t like him that way, huh?” I gasped, turning around to see Emily giggling at me.

“When did you come out here?” I asked, spooked from her sudden appearance.

“I have been here the whole time. You would’ve noticed if you weren’t so enraptured by Sam,” she said teasingly.

“I am not!” I said, lying to her once again.

“Alrighty. Just know, my door is always open if you wanna talk about it,” She said, ducking back into her house and closing the door. I blushed and decided to go home to collect my thoughts about the whole situation.

The walk home was long, and I felt uneasy the entire time. When I got home, I farmed and thought everything over, berating myself for getting a crush so easily on someone I didn’t even know. In the evening, I left the farm to go get something to eat from the saloon. When I arrived, the jukebox was playing a cheery tune. I sat at the bar and asked for some pancakes.

“You got it!” Gus said with enthusiasm, cooking them at a stove only a few feet away after handing me a small glass of water. I watched bubbles drift up from the side of the water in silence as I waited. “Y’know, I don’t know you, but you seem troubled.”

“How could you tell?” I asked.

“Running a saloon and seeing so many people makes it easy to read people’s moods,” Gus said, flipping a pancake. “If you don’t mind, can I ask what’s bothering you?”

“Oh, it’s nothing, just something dumb,” I said with a sigh.

“I know what it’s about!” Emily said, and I suddenly noticed her organizing wine bottles a few feet away.

“Emily?” I said in surprise.

“I work here, by the way,” she said.

“I figured,” I said in an accidentally rude tone.

“Well, if you don’t want to share, you don’t need to,” Gus said, handing me a plate of perfectly made pancakes.

“Thanks. These look amazing, by the way,” I said, taking a bite. “Mmm! Yummy!”

“Thanks! It’s taken years to perfect the art of the pancake,” he said in a serious tone. “Well, you seem to be okay again,” he said happily.

“Yeah, I feel much better than I did before,” I said, eating the pancakes faster, when the door opened with a creaking sound.

“Hey Gus!” A voice I recognized quite well said.

“Hey Sam,” Gus said in response, hearing Emily giggle at me in response the the redness suddenly coloring my cheeks. “What can I get you?”

“Could I get a Joja Cola?” He asked, sitting down next to me, giving me a quick wave.

“Of course!” Gus said, shooting me a glance, wondering what was wrong as he poured a glass of Joja Cola for Sam. “Are you okay? You’re kind of red?” He asked.

“Yeah, you were pretty red earlier, too,” Sam said.

“I-I’m fine!” I said quickly, looking at my glass of water.

“Are you sure? If you feel sick at all, you should go home,” Gus said.

“Really, I’m fine,” I said, and Emily laughed again.

“Yeah, she’s fine,” Emily said, smirking at me, and I glared at her.

“Well, okay then,” Gus said, looking a bit suspicious.

“It’s good you’re alright,” Sam said, smiling and taking a sip of the Joja cola. I took a deep breath.

“Yeah, it would suck if I got sick,” I said, looking at my pancakes to avoid eye contact. I knew if I looked him in the eyes, I would be blushing even more than I already was.

“I don’t mind getting sick too much,” he said. “When I’m sick I don’t have to work,” He laughed at the end.

“Oh, where do you work?” I asked curiously, taking a bite of my pancakes.

“I work at the Joja mart,” he said, and I found myself looking at him frowning.

“I worked at Joja in the city, the jobs there suck,” I responded.

“Really? You must like farming better,” he responded.

“Farming is so much better! It’s a lot of work but it doesn’t suck your soul out like Joja does,” I said, stopping in response to Sam’s laughter. He really had a nice laugh, and it made me happy that I caused it. My cheeks started to warm once more.

“You’re funny, (y/n)!” He said, drinking the last of his cola and handing Gus money for it. “I have to go, so I will talk to you later!” He waved goodbye and walked out of the saloon, and my cheeks were burning from the unexpected compliment.

Once the door closed, Gus said, “so you like Sam, then?”

“Is it really that obvious,” I asked.

“Yes,” Gus and Emily said in unison. I blushed and sighed.

“I really hope Sam can’t tell,” I said, stressfully eating my pancakes.

“He is kind of dense, so you don’t need to worry about that,” Gus said, and I giggled in response.

“That’s a relief,” I said, finishing up the pancakes. “Well, thanks for these! They were delicious.”

“No problem, and they’re on the house today,” He said with a kind smile.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course!” Gus said, taking my plate.

“Thank you so much! Have a good night, Gus, Emily,” I said happily, leaving the Saloon.

I walked home with a clearer head, and a good feeling in my heart.

#fanfic #samstardewvalley #stardewvalley #xreader #samxreader

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soranihimawari · 4 years

Text

Hold me close:

Part 2 of the Kuroo x 1st person reader (1st/fem! point of view. Named her Nekomata, Kat or Shamu for calico cats)

Tag list: @vbcshenaningansnwritings & @kaidasen

Begin here :

My alarm on my phone began to chime at 5a.m. I stifled a yawn as I silenced it. I woke up to two texts on my screen both from Kuroo telling me to sleep well and another for the morning. To say I was amused was not the least bit a lie. I chuckled softly when I pulled my hoodie over my tank top. I remained in my workout leggings from the night before, however I opted to keep my hair down instead of tying it back in a top knot bun. Today was a different day, so perhaps after I sneak back in, Lev would be awake. After the events of yesterday, I think he’d appreciate the gesture of me trying to help him control his aim. I slipped on my sneakers close to the classroom door, careful to not disturb any of my sleeping neighbors.

I was greeted by the Nekoma captain leaning against the opposite side of the wall dressed as casually as I was. He was quick to take hold of my hand and lead me down the hallway of our campus. In a matter of minutes, we snuck past all of the rooms hosting the different teams during the training camp. We did not speak a word to each other until we were outside the campus gates. Kuroo let go of my hand asking me where we were headed.

“I just wanted to get some peanut m&ms and coffee,” my groggy voice seemed to have been filtered with gravel this morning. “I didn’t want to walk these streets alone.” Kuroo nodded, agreeing with me that these streets were safely lit, but I shouldn’t be walking in the dawn alone. We reached the local 7/11 by our campus where we went aisle by aisle browsing through different products.

I stopped in front of the coffee machines and hid my tired expression by rubbing the side of my eye.

“Here, lemme pour that. You seemed tired enough as it is,” Kuroo offered.

“O-okay. You know, I could do it myself,” I teased. However, he wasn’t having it, to which I laughed off later. He poured one for himself as well. Soon, we exited the store, splitting the bag of candy between us. He noticed I was only eating the the primary color ones first before moving on to the oranges and greens, finishing the bag with the browns.

“Why do you do that?” he asked. I suppose he was entertained by my color-coded pickiness.

“All m&ms are the same milk chocolate. Is there anything wrong with color coding my candy?” I inquired. I began to sip the remainder of my coffee little by little as Kuroo continued walking at my side. The streaks of the morning sun began to filter through the light gray clouds overhead.

“No. It’s just funny is all.”

“Of course it is. How’s the coffee?”

“It’s fine, Kat. Just like you.”

“Are you attempting to flirt with me right at the sunrise?”

“Maybe. Is that bad?”

I took another swig of my coffee. My cheeks were a bit flushed with color from the hot beverage, but there was an underlying redness to them and I knew it was from his compliment.

“No. Actually, coming from you, I think that was rather sweet.” My lips curled into a childlike smile. He arched his eyebrow at me before choking on his next sip of his coffee. This caused me to burst into maniacal fit of giggles.

“One compliment in for the day and I have already broken her.” Kuroo muttered when he was able to calm down. By 5:25, we were already back on campus grounds, awaiting the rest of the members of the teams to wake up. Morning practices typically included a jog, so everyone except for the secondary managers and myself stayed behind to begin preparing breakfast for the players.

In the kitchen, I heard the mixer for the scrambled eggs go off as well as the toaster ding every couple of seconds or so. Hitoka was in charge of the eggs while Yukie, the manager from Fukurodani, was in charge of the toast. I, on the other hand, was manning the gas lit stove. I rolled up my sleeves and put on my earbuds. I played jazz selections from the early 40s-late70s while making the rolled egg omelets. We did this for roughly an hour and a half, until the teachers and coaches walked in to see how efficient we were at making breakfast.

“Yukie, Hitoka, help me out by beginning to fry some of the bacon please on that stove over there,” I instructed, tossing my head back over my shoulder to point to the stove.

“Yes ma’am!” they said in unison.

“That granddaughter of yours is something else,” we heard Takeda-sensei compliment me. Nekomata clasped the young educator by his shoulder.

“Of course she is. Kat leads by example. After all, this isn’t her first training camp with me,” my grandfather stated.

Around 7:30 all teams had returned from their morning run and began to walk through the kitchen. I made sure Yukie and Hitoka ate before the boys came and wrecked havoc on the simple spread of breakfast items we had laid out for them. I paused my music for a moment before I disappeared back into the kitchen to make myself a plate of over easy eggs and buttered toast. I took my plate and wandered off to the back of the kitchen to sit on one of the steps. I placed my earphones back in once the volume of the chatter were echoing, just this once, I would like my peace to eat alone. A morning spent with John Coltrane’s Giant Steps was a morning well spent, in my opinion. I stifled another yawn as I raised my arms above my head in an attempt to stretch. I overheard the coaches instructing their players which drills they were going to be practicing with through the lowered volume of my headphones.

“Just enough time in between drills to start on lunch,” I said softly to myself. I checked the time of my phone and noticed I had about another thirty minutes or so before I had my one on one lessons with Lev. I pulled myself up off my make shift dining area and went back into the kitchen. I paused my music and disconnected my headphones in order to place them back in my shared room with the other managers. Those who went on the morning runs with their teams volunteered to do the dishes this time since the work was needed to be evenly balanced. I thanked the girls for their help while I walked back to our room to freshen up a bit more (i could tell I smelled like the meal I cooked for the boys, so a quick rinse was in order for me before I went to gym 3 sporting just my gray sports bra and magenta dry fit capris [with my sneakers on again]).

I had arrived at gym 3 a couple of minutes late to see Lev, Yaku, Bokuto, and Kuroo taking turns practicing spikes. Bokuto spotted me out of the corner of his eye and he nudged Kuroo with his elbow.

“What the hell Bo, that hu--Oh,” Kuroo said when he saw me standing there half clad ready to get work done. His blush was not very concealed when Lev and Yaku looked at their captain with knowing grins.

“Neko-senpai looks amazing,” Lev whispered into Kuroo’s ear. Yaku almost roundhouse kicked him, but he didn’t when Kuroo collected his thoughts into a solemn, “Yeah,” which Bokuto heard.

Bokuto wasn’t as dense or as thick headed as every one seemed to me

“Hey hey hey! Kat’s here!” Bokuto exclaimed jogging up to me. His gray and white hair bounced along as he ran, which caused me to chuckle. “You’re going to join us?”

“Hey yourself Bo,” I said walking in. He picked me up in a hug and twirled me around before placing me back down on the gym floor. This caused me to see Kuroo’s nostrils flare in a small fit of jealousy. Yes, I may have known Kuroo for a short period of school time, but Bokuto and I were close in elementary school before splitting up to different junior high and high schools. We remained in contact over the years especially since volleyball was the one thing that brought our friendship together (that and gramps had a close friendship with the Fukurodani coach).

“Morning guys. Bo, you had your fun, but I’m actually here for Lev,” I said bending down to pick up a few of the strewn volleyballs. I nodded toward where the tall string bean first year stood. “C’mon, let’s use the other court set up for spike practice. Have fun boys.”

Lev followed behind me with a few more volleyballs in his hands and he placed them on the floor behind one of the serving boundary lines. His other companions were starting up a receiving drill (usually comprised of one setter and spiker duo and a solo player on the othrer side, typically a libero).

“Alright Lev,” I began bouncing one of the royal blue and canary yellow spheres on the floor. “I’m going to have you stand on the opposite side of the net and I want you to watch me as I serve. I’m going to need you to try and either one, let it go out of bounds or two, receive it. Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be, senpai,” Lev said with a shrug. I smiled with glee. This child wouldn’t know what hit him. I thought. Maybe I should hold back? Nah, my inner voice snickered. This is for the benefit of the team if he’s going to learn today...

I gave the ball a solid bounce before I walked behind the server’s line and tossed the ball high in the air. The split second the ball reached the appropriate height for me I leaped into the air and with another loud crack sprouting from my left palm,the ball whirred past Lev’s tall stature. I landed on my feet with a proud smile when I saw where the ball landed, it was inside the lines of the court, meaning that in an official match, I had scored a service ace. Gramps always taught me to try to aim for the spot none of the other players were thinking the ball would go.

The others stopped for a moment in the middle of their own self practice long enough to witness the magic that just occurred. I guess I was able to shock them into a renowned silence. Honestly,because I had other interests than volleyball, maybe they thought I didn’t know how to play? However, there was no time to waste, so I bent down to pick up another ball to send over the net.

“Don’t tell me you three thought I couldn’t play volleyball? Me, the granddaughter of Nekoma’s formidable coach? Haha,” I teased, brushing my hair over my shoulder. Lev seemed petrified for a few seconds while his seniors shook their heads before chuckling along nervously at my strong serve. “It’s alright, I’m joking. So Lev, are you ready for another one?”

“N-no? How did you do that? I mean you almost hit me!” Lev said with an admiring sheen over his eyes.

“Practice? I mean, you could have returned it instead of letting it slip by, Lev. Clearly that was a service ace,” I replied with a shrug. “You want to serve to me this time?”

He agreed on the condition that he listened to my instruction for the next hour and a half. His serves did get better, in my honest opinion. Lev had improved his command on where the ball was heading. I was able to return a few of his serves, but I have a feeling his technique would improve over time.

“I think we ought to stop here before you over work your arm,” I mentioned, patting Lev’s shoulder when he crossed under the net. “Improvement is not going to come overnight, but your serving aim did gain some control.”

“You think so?” Lev asked me when he straightened up.

“Well, yeah. We’ve been at this for a little over an hour, but” I began. I had simply not paid attention to the time before Kiyoko and Yukie appeared to escort the boys to the main gym where their practice games were about to begin.

“You four clearly have practice matches to get to.” I walked toward the other three and ushered them out of the gym much to their protesting, but I was not budging on them missing out on team practice. Once the group had left, I began picking up the remainder of the volleyballs laying across both courts before wheeling the carts away to the side of the wall.

Kuroo came back a few minutes later before I was able to press song shuffle on my phone’s GooglePlay. I tucked my phone in my side pocket of the leggings I wore when he greeted me with a bashful look. How did this captain seem so competely competent on the court yet now look like a shy elementary school kid who saw their teacher on their midday attire?

“Oh, Kuroo? Did you forget something?” I asked, wiping the sweat drops off my forehead with the back of my hand. I approached him when I noticed he was fidgeting with his hands like he did when he had something on his mind. I glanced up at him, thinking of what I should help the girls prepare for lunch, but that was neither here nor there.

“Uh, yeah. I did,” he replied, bending down toward me. It happened so quickly; his lips brushed against mine gently. No one would have noticed unless I told them that his lips lightly pressed against my own. A kiss for luck? I though. Maybe this was not what I was expecting at all; there was this inkling of short-lived innocent wondering what his lips would feel like against mine that floated in my head. Light like cotton candy and sweet like caramel, I mused.

When he pulled away, I yearned for him to kiss me again, but I tucked thought back into my mind. Kuroo looked over my shoulder for a moment before mentioning he should head back before his team would play without him. I traced my lips with my index finger, still feeling the giddiness spread across my body like wildfire.

“Good luck in your match against Bokuto, Kuroo. Oh,” I said reaching out to stop him from leaving for a moment. “Don’t be too mad at our friend for hugging me the way he did earlier. You did look annoyed when you have jealousy written on your brow...”

***

Later on that evening, before I went to bed, I received a text from Kuroo asking me to meet him by the vending machines by his classroom turned dorm for the training camp. He claims it wasn’t his idea, but Bokuto was the one who actually sent me the message, seeing as they had a phone mix up earlier after their practice games had ceased.

“Are you trying to blame Bokuto for this meeting?” I quirked my eyebrow up at him. I leaned against the side of the vending machine with my arms lazily crossed over my old Nekoma dance team shirt; my denim pants glowed with the backlight of the soda machine. “I remembered you guys accidentally switched phones, but you sent me a message considering the time stamp, to meet you here. So, what did you want to talk abo--mmph!?”

Kuroo had this overtly confident look in his eyes before he leaned into my personal space for the second time that day, he kissed me. This time, I was a bit more prepared. Upon impact, I screwed my eyes shut. I didn’t think anyone would of came out of their rooms considering how late it was, so all I could do was wrap my arms around his broad shoulders and pull his body closer to me.

There was this feeling of being warmed up like a hot tea being served to you on a cold night when Kuroo placed a hand on my cheek; the pad of his calloused fingers traced the features of my face. This kiss had a meaning: there was a longing behind the way his lips melded onto mine. Apparently, Kuroo’s mouth seemed to be made of magnets, finding my own again like this afternoon. His kisses were curiously asking me questions like what do I see in him and why did he wait so long to kiss me like this? It was probably his dumb late realization of having a crush on me that drove him to kiss me this afternoon, the same logic behind now. I pulled away first this time, studying his facial features. His eyes slowly opened to reveal a slight dilation in his pupils. Kuroo was indeed falling for me every second we were in this position. I ran my hands through his now dampened hair, causing his once rooster like hair-do to be done again.

“Shut up and let me kiss you kitty-Kat,” Kuroo whispered to me when he rested his forehead against mine. The faint smell of bubblegum flavored toothpaste he used intoxicated my already quivering lips.

“Please.” One world was all I had to say right before a hand of mine gripped the collar of his ebony shirt downward. I had a small smile grace my lips before I let my lips smack against his first. This time it wasn’t a just a light peck; instead I mustered every ounce of what I thought was a one-sided crush emotion into every second I had with him alone against the vending machine. It seemed like whatever emotions we had toward each other was masked in our moment of a coup de tonnerre. Electricity was coursing through our veins, but we wanted to keep this intense moment going for as long as needed. I let held on to him for a few more seconds before his hand was lost in a fist full of my mane.

Then, I felt the heat of Kuroo’s hand leave my face to rest comfortably against my waist. That was until I released his shirt from my hold, only to grip his shoulders. In one efficient move, I twisted his body until his back was against the wall, pinning him there. I swallowed his laughter when I ran my tongue over his mouth begging for entry. He didn’t make me wait long because I don’t think he minded one bloody bit since he continued to keep extending this passion-fueled moment for as long as we could. We were too proud to let the other withdraw first considering whatever this was, we needed to keep being locked in a tight embrace. Funnily enough, when I felt him nip the corner of my mouth in jest, but I had to pull away from him before we got too carried away during “quiet hours.” I pressed a finger to his pursed lips before speaking in a hushed tone. Our breathing was a bit ragged, but considering the shit-eating grins on our faces strewn across our faces made the other feel a bit more confident.

“Your kisses are just as enigmatic as I thought,” I told him, resting my head against his chest. His hands remained wrapped around my waist gently. I patted his upper arms as a sign to let me go, even though I know he didn’t want to. Instead he pulled me closer.

“Yours leave me wanting more,” he whispered in my hair. He continued to press open mouth kisses against my neck, his nose brushing against the warmest part of my neck behind my ear. This sent shivers down my spine and he knew it. There was going to eventually be a lover’s bite there if I didn’t stop him by reminding him we have to wake up early again tomorrow.

“What if I don’t want you to go?” Kuroo’s voice had an inkling of a disappointed pout. I raised a hand to cup his cheek, explaining if he didn’t want me to leave his side after this training camp was over, he’d have to take me out a proper date to which he sighed before burying his head against the crook of the other side of my neck. I patted the back of his head when he asked what I was doing on a Saturday night two weeks from the end of camp.

“Apparently, I’m going on a date with you?” was my reply before I placed both of my hands on his face to make him look at me. I smiled softly when I kissed his cheek. I bid the raven haired cat captain good bye before we both began walking back to our respective dorms. When I looked over my shoulder, Kuroo bit his bottom lip at me; it was a cute emotion, but I knew he’d want more lf whatever this was going to be whether it was a relationship or a fling. The choice was up to him, and honestly, I am hoping for the first option. I’m sure his heart was telling him that too. I took my phone out once I had tucked myself cozily in my sleeping bag bed and sent a text:

(Incoming message below)

#haikyu!! fiction #kuroo x 1st person pov #kuroo & confessions

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ludacryst · 5 years

Text

Survey Says..

1: How tall or short do you wish you were? I'm 5'3, but I sometimes wish I was shorter because of how cute it can be in a relationship. I've watched too much anime, okay?

2: What’s your dream pet? (Real or not) Well, @warpedbelief didn't help me figuring this out because his dragon idea was really cool. However... I'll just stick with cats. I love cats. (I also love dragons..)

3: Do you have a favorite clothing style? Comfortable. Lol. I mostly wear PJs.

4: What was your favorite video game growing up? Final Fantasy series in general. 7 & 9 Specifically. My heart was always with Zelda ALTTP though.

5: What three things/people do you think of most each day: Erwin, Wiggles, PoF (Power of Friendship, so my friends/family.)

6: If you had a warning label, what would yours say? Caution : Speaks her mind far too often. No filter. Bossy af. Does not cave easily.

7: What is your opinion on [insert person/thing here]? I don't know.

8: What is your Greek personality type? [Sanguine, Phlegmatic, Choleric, or Melancholic] Melancholic.

9: Are you ticklish? .....No...?....(Yes)

10: Are you allergic to anything? Lots of stuff. There's a list uploaded somewhere.

11: What’s your sexuality? Heteronormative Bisexual. I used to call it straight with a twist until I figured out there was an actual term for it. Basically, I'm emotionally attracted to men and commonly see myself in a relationship with men. (My Husband, HI.) However, I have similar attractions physically to women, but have never seen myself in a relationship with one other than physically.

12: Do you prefer tea, coffee, or cocoa? Cocoa or Tea, but I'll drink any of em.

13: Are you a cat or dog person? Cat. 1000% They're chill just like me... once they're older.

14: Would you rather be a vampire, elf, or merperson? Elf, probably. I love nature, I hate being allergic to it though.

15: Do you have a favorite Youtuber? Nah, I just skim youtube from time to time, no favorite.

16: How tall are you? 5'3.

17: If you had to change your name, what would you change it to? I'd probably keep it in the realm it's already in. So, I'm Crystal. I go by Crys (Chris) so probably Christina.. or anything that could shorten it to Chris of sorts. It's just me.

18: How much do you weigh? 175-190, depends on if I've ate fast food recently or not. More averaged at 186, but it's jumped a lot the past few months. Goal weight is 125.

19: Do you believe in ghosts/spirits? Sure. I don't disbelieve. Had a thing when i was a kid a few times that make me think something exists.. whether or not we know what it is.

20: Do you like space or the ocean more? Space. Stars. I love water don't get me wrong, but I'm more curious about what we can't physically reach.

21: Are you religious? Nah.

22: Pet peeves? Liars, people who try to grind my gears, people saying "I'm going to do it just to spite you." I'm tired of toxicity of people.

23: Would you rather be nocturnal or diurnal [opposite of nocturnal]? Diurnal. I'm defaulted to Nocturnal, so just eat some edibles and we're in bed by 10pm! :)

24: Favorite constellation? Leo ;)

25: Favorite star? Sirius, it shines the brightest.

26: Do you like ball-jointed dolls? I don't like dolls. They're creepy.

27: Any phobias or fears? Irrational : Dolls, Being around people. Rational : Heights, Closed Spaces t-t

28: Do you think global warming is real? Fucking. Is this seriously a question? Of course it's real.

29: Do you believe in reincarnation? I actually like to. It gives me hope there's something after death.

30: Favorite movie? I'm not sure I have a favorite movie...

31: Do you get scared easily? Nah, but I love a good jump scare.

32: How many pets have you own in your lifetime? Christina - My first doggie, passed away when I was in 4th grade. She was a mini collie~ Alexi - My green/yellow parakeet. Passed away at roughly 2-3 years old. Jiggy - My gray/white beautiful DHS big boi kitty. (2006-2016) Momma - My loving calico who picked me over everyone. ;o; (2006-2018) Wiggles - Adopted from my family, he's a tyrant! He loves his dad more than me tho... [rude] (2016-???)

33: Blog rate? [You’ll rate the blog of the one who’s asking.] You CC please.

34: What is a color that calms you? Blue. Blue is always relaxing, especially softer/darker blues.

35: Where would you like to travel and/or live? Travel wise, I want to visit a lot of places. Germany, UK, Canada... more specifically Niagara Falls.. Live wise, if I could, I'd live in Canada. However... I just want to live in the midwest, or east, somewhere more affordable in the US.

36: Where were you born? Ohio!

37: What is your eye color? Blue-gray.

38: Introvert or extrovert? 1000% introverted.

39: Do you believe in horoscopes and zodiacs? I think they're amusing as fuck. I don't believe/follow them 100%. I do like to imagine what it would be like if they were right though. I follow zodiac stuff way more than horoscope.

40: Hugs or kisses? xoxoxo - Preferably hugs, they're for everyone! *HUGS*

41: Who is someone you would like to see/visit right now? Scotty! ( @warpedbelief )

42: Who is someone you love deeply? @hyphenhero - My husbando.

43: Any piercings you want? I really dunno any more. The only one I've been considering lately is Daith.

44: Do you like tattoos and piercings? I don't dislike tattoos and piercings.

45: Do you smoke or have you ever done so? Cigarettes are disgusting. Be more descriptive of your "smoking." I have marijuana vapes I enjoy.

46: Talk about your crush, if you have one! Well, I married him.

47: What is a sound you really hate? Anything pitchy. My ears have been killing me the past year or so.

48: A sound you really love? Meow.

49: Can you do a backflip? HAHAHA No.

50: Can you do the splits? Almost did them on accident the other day. It really hurt. (No)

51: Favorite actor and/or actress? Do voice actors count? Because then I'm between two. Johnny Yong Bosch and Matt Mercer.

52: Favorite movie? Wasn't this asked already? I don't have one.

53: How are you feeling right now? Tired.

54: What color would you like your hair to be right now? I really want to bleach it blonde again.

55: When did you feel happiest? Maybe when we first moved into our second apartment? The rent was cheaper, it was nice. I miss freedom. Though, I also miss having a full guild of friends and getting along and having fun together.. Man I'm getting old.

56: Something that calms you down? Marijuana primarily. Hugs. Kittens.

57: Have any mental disorders? [Only ask this if you know the user doesn’t mind!] Anxiety, Depression, Memory issues xD Honestly you should just ask if there's stuff NOT wrong with me.

58: What does your URL mean? It's a nickname a friend gave me 11 years ago. Holy crap. It's been 11 years.

59: What three words describe you the most? Sassy, Bratty, Mom-ish.

60: Do you believe in evolution? Yes.

61: What makes you unfollow a blog? Too much spam/boring content. Stuff I'm not interested in. Sometimes inactivity for years.

62: What makes you follow a blog? Stuff I'm interested in typically.

63: Favorite kind of person: People I can just talk to about anything. I like to talk. I don't like to be pestered and felt bad about not responding right away. I enjoy helping people. So I'm mostly a listener. I like to talk about stuff we're mutually interested in. Sometimes I love people I can debate with but not hate after (reasonable debates.) I guess I'm going to be that guy and copy what my friend said.. "Engaging, but not too much that I’m constantly tired. I like doing nothing, but doing nothing with the right person."

64: Favorite animal(s): Cats. All the cats.

65: Name three of your favorite blogs. I don't really actively follow any specific blog in particular! :x

66: Favorite emoticon: :smirk: (use it on discord... though if you played maplestory, it's an F3 equivalent... )

67: Favorite meme: You said that tho?

68: What is your MBTI personality type? INFJ-T

69: What is your star sign? Leo

70: Can your dog roll over on command, if you have a dog? No dog, but you'd be damn right to guess I'd train them.

71: What outfit out of all your clothes do you like to wear the most? Any of the fluffy pjs with a thin tank top.

72: Post a selfie or two? https://ludacryst.tumblr.com/tagged/me https://ludacryst.tumblr.com/tagged/wedding

73: Do you have platform shoes? Nah. I don't have heels either.

74: What is one random but interesting fact about yourself? My memory is absolutely shit in most situations. However, in certain and RANDOM AF situations it can be clear as day. If I want to learn/remember something? Forget about it. If I could not care less about something? You'll be damn straight I'll remember it.

75: Can you do a front flip? Lol, no.

76: Do you like birds? Yeah, cept the annoying high pitched ones T_T

77: Do you like to swim? I used to love to. I can't really be in the sun for long any more though.

78: Is swimming or ice skating more fun to you? Never been Ice Skating! Always wanted to try. I'd probably equally enjoy both.

79: Something you wish didn’t exist: Mosquitoes, Cancer, Violence. On the violence part... It's mostly guns. If we had swordsman style fights - It'd be more interesting.

80: Some thing you wish did exist: Cures to incurables. Cancer, Epilepsy, Autism, etc. (I'm an epilepsy survivor.)

81: Piercings you have? Had an eyebrow piercing, lost it the same month I got it to pink eye.

82: Something you really enjoy doing: Watching television. I miss reading. I have a hard time focusing on reading now.

83: Favorite person to talk to: I have 3! Erwin (@hyphenhero) - My husband~ and my friends Scott (@warpedbelief) and Brandon.

84: What was your first impression of Tumblr? What the fuck is this and why do people use it? inb4 I replaced wordpress with it.

85: How many followers do you have? I don't really check. My Tumblr is mostly for me... and I just restarted fresh these past few months.

86: Can you run a mile within ten minutes? Maybe if I tried. Used to be able to run one in 6.

87: Do your socks always match? Yeah.

88: Can you touch your toes and keep your legs straight completely? HA, Never could.

89: What are your birthstones? Peridot, Sardonyx, Spinel

90: If you were an animal, which one would you be? Cat? Yes. Spoil me.

91: If a flower could aesthetically represent you, what kind would it be? Tulips.

92: A store you hate? Umm.... I don't know if I avoid any stores in particular....

93: How many cups of coffee can you drink in one day? 1-2. My stomach gets pretty upset.

94: Would you rather be able to fly or read minds? Fly. Definitely. I get lost in my own mind enough.

95: Do you like to wear camo? Situationally.

96: Winter or summer? Winter 100%. Hate the heat. Love the snow.

97: How long can you hold your breath for? I don't know. Like 30 seconds maybe?

98: Least favorite person? They who will not be named. It gives them too much attention.

99: Someone you look up to: I used to look up to my mom a lot. Now I'm more-so my own person, I just do what I can to do right by me and my hubby.

100: A store you love? Uhm.. Any cheap store... I don't really have a favorite. I guess amazon for saving me gas?

101: Favorite type of shoes Skechers.

102: Where do you live? California.

103: Are you a vegetarian or vegan? If so, why? Nah. I love ham too much.

104: What is your favorite mineral or gem? Cubic Zirconia actually. It's so undervalued but so pretty.

105: Do you drink milk? Used to. Not really much any more.

106: Do you like bugs? Sometimes. But not in the house.

107: Do you like spiders? Sure, they get rid of the bad bugs.

108: Something you get paranoid about? Being followed. Bugs crawling on me.

109: Can you draw: Used to be able to. Not any more.

110: Nosiest question you have ever been asked? I don't know, I usually tell people anything they ask lol.

111: A question you hate being asked? Any question I had previously already answered, and they just weren't paying attention. Anything related to me/my own working/schooling.

112: Ever been bitten by a spider? Not that I can remember.

113: Do you like the sound of waves at the beach? Yeah, it's really relaxing.

114: Do you prefer cloudy or sunny days? Cloudy, 100%

115: Someone you’d like to kiss or cuddle right now: I would like to cuddle Momma right now.. Why you gotta go and make a girl sad for survey thing? (My calico that passed away last year..)

116: Favorite cloud type: Cumulus, Cumulonimbus, and Nimbostratus. Yes I googled them for their names.

117: What color do you wish the sky was? I honestly love the colors the sky is/can be, especially at sunrise and sunset.

118: Do you have freckles? Yes, but you can only see them when I have a tan. So to anyone who hasn't seen me since I was 10, you'd never know I had them.

119: Favorite thing about a person: How they treat people. If they're kind to animals. Eyes. Definitely eyes.

120: Fruits or vegetables? Fruits @_@

121: Something you want to do right now: Play Zelda - BoTW on Hard - but... I'm lazy.

122: Is the ocean or sky prettier? Ocean. But they look best together.

123: Sweet or sour foods? Candies or actual food? Food, sweet. Candies, sour.

124: Bright or dim lights? Dim as you can go without causing me to have seizures over tiny little things.

125: Do you believe in a certain magical creature? I wish. Dragons would rock my world.

126: Something you hate about Tumblr: Yahoo owning it.

127: Something you love about Tumblr: The freedom it USED to have.

128: What do you think about the least? I dunno, I think about it the least... so it won't naturally come to me.

129: What would you want written on your tombstone? Carpe Diem ....heheheh.

130: Who would you like to punch in the face right now? Why would I name them? Again with the attention thing.

131: What is something you love but also hate about yourself? My Epilepsy. It's shown me who really gives a fuck about me, but also it's taken a lot from me.

132: Do you smile with your teeth showing for pictures? No, I hate my teeth.

133: Computer or TV? Computer, it offers more.

134: Do you like roller coasters? Never been on one, definitely want to try.

135: Do you get motion sickness or seasickness? Sometimes motion sickness, never got seasick tho.

136: Are your ears lobed or attached? Attatched.

137: Do you believe in karma? I like to believe in Karma, but I really feel like people don't get their just desserts :(

138: On a scale of 1-10, how attractive would you say you are? -5

139: What nicknames do you have/have had? Crys, Crysti, Cryssi, Crysii, Ludacryst, Toxie, Punky, there's probably more but effort.

140: Did you have any pretend or imaginary friends? I am unsure.

141: Have you ever seen a therapist/shrink? Yes. More than one therapist.

142: Would you say you are a good or bad influence to others? Yes.

143: Do you prefer giving or receiving gifts/help? Giving.

144: What makes you angry? Lots of little things. Dumb things. Mostly the way medical/doctors are here... Our president... a lot of things really.

145: How many languages do you speak fluently? I can barely manage English, you want me to learn more?!

146: Do you prefer boys, girls, and/or non-binaries? I kinda answered this earlier.

147: Are you androgynous? No.

148: Favorite physical thing about yourself: My eye color.

149: Favorite thing about your personality: I'm more willing to let people go if they make my life worse. I used to be terrible at that.

150: Name three people you would like to talk to right now in person. My Mom, Scooter, Matt Mercer.. (shh)

151: If you could go back into time and live in one era, which would you choose? ANY ERA WITH KNIGHTS AND KINGDOMS AND WEEEEEEE............ (I like a lot of oldie based shows.)

152: Do you like BuzzFeed? Eh.

153: How did you meet your spouse/girlfriend/boyfriend/partner? [If you have one.] MapleStory. Not even remotely kidding.

154: Do you like to kiss others’ foreheads or hands for platonic reasons? Yes. I'm a very touchy person if I trust the person. I prefer hugs on most though. Forehead is pretty sentimental to me.

155: Do you like to play with others’ hair? Sometimes, yeah.

156: What embarrasses you? My teeth, my weight, a lot of things.

157: Something that makes you nervous/anxious: People. Crowds. Planes. Heights. New Doctors.

158: Biggest lie you have ever told: If it's the biggest lie I've ever told, do you think I'm going to out myself on social media?

159: How many people are you following? Fuck if I know... I'm too lazy to check.

160: How many posts do you have on your blog(s)? See #159

161: How many drafts do you have on your blog(s)? See #159

162: How many likes do you have on your blog(s)? See #159

163: Last time you cried and why: It's been over a lot of things. My health, my families health, my cat, hurting myself, etc.

164: Do you have long or short hair? Medium?

165: Longest your hair has ever been: Just below my shoulders.

166: Why do you like, dislike, or have neutral feelings about religion? Neutral mostly, because you can't prove or disprove a god exists. Just because you haven't seen something does that mean it's not there? Also, just because you believe in something, does it mean that it exists really? I'm agnostic. Though Wicca seems like a more reasonable religion in most aspects (I've dabbled in research, I hope that doesn't offend anyone.)

167: Do you really care how the universe and world was created? Not really. I just care if it's gonna blow up before I die.

168: Do you like to wear makeup? Like? Not usually, it just helps me feel a little better sometimes.

169: Can you stand on your hands or head for more than thirty seconds? Nope.

170: Did you answer the questions you were asked truthfully? As much as I could.

#survey says #survey

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sour--strawberries · 6 years

Text

Meow Cafe, part 12

fandom: Stony (Steve x Tony)

universe: Figaro universe, cat cafe!au - Tony works as a barista in a cat cafe and Steve is totally smitten by him and Tony’s overly fluffy cat, Figaro

summary: The big opening of the new Meow Cafe is finally happening!

length: 5 791 words

warnings: this fic belongs to Figaro universe, not focused on tickling, but has some from time to time (some this time)

a/n: FINAL CHAPTER IS HERE! I hope you like it and look at the end for a special surprise! if you enjoyed this series, remember to like, reblog and send me your final thoughts, would love to hear how you liked this love and cat story!

———–

Meow Cafe, part 12

(part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6, part 7, part 8, part 9, part 10, part 11)

The work on new Meow Cafe was going smoothly and after another month it was fully furnished and equipped, sparkling new and clean, ready to accept cats and customers. Yet, the final and hardest test remained the one that would define everything.

"He is coming! He is coming!" Janet jumped away from the window, almost entangling herself in the curtains in the process. "The inspector is coming!!" she shrilled, cheeks becoming flushed from the nervous atmosphere.

"Calm down, Jan," Bruce advised, standing behind the bar, next to Pepper who was sipping some coffee.

"What if he won't like the cafe?! What if we did something wrong?! We will have to start all over again!!" Janet panicked further, skipping to Bruce and flailing arms in panic.

"He will like it, we did everything fine---"

"AND WHAT IF WE DIDN'T?!" Janet roared, grabbing Bruce by the collar and almost dragging him out from the bar area. Before Pepper had to intervene, there was a gentle sound of a bell ringing, indicating that someone pushed the door open. The inspector arrived.

"Hi!" Janet immediately let go of Bruce and turned around, her angry scowl turning into a welcoming smile. The girl needed only one second to change her mood dramatically. There was probably some medical term for that, but it wasn't important. "Welcome to Meow Cafe!"

The inspector seemed unfazed. He put his nose up and sniffed, still smelling some of the paint. Tony and Steve walked behind the inspector and smiled nervously at the crew gathered near the bar area.

"Glad you could find time for us," Pepper smiled, greeting their guest. "Janet will show you around," she said, needing to find the over-energetic girl some task, or she might kill them all.

"Of course!" Janet nodded enthusiastically, and the tour started.

The inspector took his time and went meticulously through every inch of Meow Cafe. The new furniture was met with approval, soft and inviting both for cats and humans. The big window had a nice warm spot where the sun was shining, perfect for naps. The new cat shelves were great, placed all over the cafe, with some tunnels between them for double the fun, all in nice, pastel, bright colors and with soft carpet on the top for double kitty comfort. The inspector tested the cat door leading to the cat room, full of cat beds and bowls and more shelves, and a comfy, old couch near the wall, Bruce found on a yard sale. The best was left for last. The playground. It had to be tested to accommodate all kitty needs and shapes and weights and ages, and the inspector examined every toy and shelf and cushion and every scratch pole. It took long, nervous minutes and everyone was getting anxious, trying to hold it in and not rush anything. In the end, the inspector came back to the bar area, looking as mysterious as when the tour started.

"Can I interest you in something to drink?" Janet asked friendly, hoping that it will earn them some additional points.

One, slowly drank, bowl of milk later, the inspector looked around the new cafe and sat his fluffy butt down on the floor. The moment was prolonging and Figaro licked around his mouth, getting the last drops of milk. Immediately, everyone looked to Tony, who had been sitting on the couch with Steve, waiting for translation.

Tony, trying to not choke on his own laughter, knowing how serious everyone was treating the situation, smiled and spread his arms. "He likes it!" he announced.

The Meow Cafe's crew cheered and Figaro closed his eyes in content. Yes, he could imagine his cat friends being comfortable in this new place.

***

"Hi! Welcome! So glad you could come!"

Steve was leaning against the bar and he couldn't keep the smile out of his face. Finally, the day came and it was the grand opening of the new Meow Cafe. Tomorrow, the cafe would be open for all customers while this was the opening for friends and family and people who adopted the cafe's pupils. Steve saw Pepper talking to the older couple, a marriage that had adopted his favorite Little Eye, Blondie and Crazeh, and chatting with the girl with blue eyes and dark bangs, one that gave a home to Shandi. Near the playground and watching the cats inside were three girls plus Janet, excitedly cooing over the cats and commenting how cute they were. Steve didn't know their names, but guessed that the chubby one with long, wavy hair in the middle was the one who adopted Cow, on her right was a girl with asymmetric hair in an unusual rusty orange color, Ariel's owner, and at the left was the one with long blond hair, tied in a bun, and by the hair, Steve made a connection that it was Rapunzel (whose real name still remained unknown), the one who adopted Tsuki. On one of the couches, was Sam and Rhodey, talking to a burly blond, who, as it turned out was neither William or Thud, but Thor, Gizmo's rightful owner, who had brought his brother along, a lanky dark-haired man, staying away from everyone and preferring to put his all attention on the cat in his lap. Steve focused on the cat for a bit. It was a striped tabby with white socks, looking suspiciously similar to Crazeh, although smaller and more muscular, enjoying a long petting session. The new cafe was much bigger than the previous one and could host up to fifteen cats instead of six. Currently, in the cafe was a lucky thirteen of cats. And Steve had to learn the names of all of them.

"That's Cajetan," someone said and Steve looked at Natasha who appeared out of nowhere. As the person who adopted Oliver, she was also invited to the first opening. "He is almost two years old, Bruce says that he is one of the youngest cats here."

Steve nodded and smiled. He could imagine that Bruce was excited as Tony was with all the new cats, but while Tony tend to blab a lot and change from one cat to the other, making it hard to keep track and memorize, Bruce had to be a better source of information.

"Tuma," Natasha pointed up at the cat shelves, where a beautiful tortoiseshell girl was looking down at everyone with her yellow-green eyes. "Pi Shu," on a shelf just below Tuma was another cat, this one resembling Cow a little bit, also black and white and green-eyed, looking at everyone suspiciously, "watch out for her, she gives love bites."

Steve laughed, not at all bothered by kitty love bites. Maybe in the past he did consider it a problem, but not anymore.

"Oh, and there is Zeus," Natasha smiled at the lean cat, a mix of calico and Siamese with unusually bright blue eyes sprinting between their legs to get to the cat's room. "Chased by Little Girl," she laughed, when a grayish-white blur followed Zeus, as both cats were playing with each other. "And there is my favorite, Clawson," Natasha's voice softened and she pointed at the window sill, where stretched out was a big, orange cat, the senior of the group, reaching almost fifteen years old, as finding homes for senior cats was still an important mission for Meow Cafe. Steve saw a resemblance to Oliver and it became clear why this particular cat became Nat's favorite. Maybe if things turn out well, Oliver will get a brother.

"Hey, you almost got them all," Steve looked at his friend, grateful for the short introduction.

"Yeah, almost," Natasha leaned out a little bit, seeing Clint, sitting on the floor and dangling a mouse on a stick in front of two cats, a honey striped cat, and an orange tabby. Izzy and Menina. Izzy was a four years old boy and Menina was an older lady, almost fourteen, but was as playful and energetic as the three times younger Izzy. Clint was laughing and looked perfectly happy, observing cats attempt to get the mice, and sometimes letting them nibble on the toy.

Steve counted the cats they saw so far. Two in the cat's room, six in the cafe area. That meant, that five more were somewhere around. His eyes went to the playground and he saw a small black cat, happily napping on one of the pillows.

"That's Kashi, right?" Steve asked Natasha, trying to remember some of the cats on his own. From what Tony told him, Kashi was a very shy kitty lady and preferred to stay in the playground area, approaching everyone with caution.

"Yeah, it is," Natasha confirmed, and laughed at a gray cat, walking back and forth through one of the tunnels, looking very happy, until the calico one with bright yellow eyes decided to make a surprise and jump on the tunnel, temporarily cutting off the entrance, until the cat wiggled out backwards, to the amusement of the three girls observing the cats. Poor Fezzick, attacked by Lina. Seemed that the younger cats had no respect for their older colleagues. Speaking of younger cats, on numerous fluffy pillows and gently pawing a toy mouse was Amber, gray and with golden eyes, the baby of the cat group, reaching one year. "I think that Celia is also in the playground---"

"Do you need anything?"

"We are good, Bruce," Natasha smiled at her unofficially second boyfriend. Bruce's hair seemed even curlier than usual, as he was rushing in the bar area, pouring coffee after coffee for all of their guests. Even his glasses seemed steamed.

"BRUCE!" Janet roared, appearing suddenly in the bar area, and leaning in to see how the coffee making was going, an empty tray propped against her hip, almost falling to the ground. Immediately, Bruce started to slap her away gently, because Pepper didn't approve of jumping against the sparkly new bar and chipping the paint off. "Our guests need coffee!"

"And we need more cake!" Tony yelled, waltzing past the small group, swiftly collecting empty coffee cups left on the tables. The coffee place was becoming more crowded, as more people who adopted the cats over the two years of Meow Cafe existence were showing up. Pepper basically stood by the door and greeted the new groups, guiding them briefly over the cafe before resuming her position.

"Hi, handsome!"

Steve yelped, and jumped up a little bit, when someone, undoubtedly Tony, while circling and collecting plates and cups, playfully slapped his ass. He only saw Tony's grin as his barista walked away to bus some tables.

"Then you two should come here and help me," Bruce replied through clenched teeth in a deep voice, keeping a low profile, unlike his colleges. Steve had to admit, that the seemingly harmless brunet seemed a lot more threatening out of sudden.

"You have help!" Jan exclaimed, stacking the coffee cups on a tray. "We left you with the new guy!"

New guy? Steve sipped his coffee, looking more alert. Tony didn't tell him that the person who was supposed to fill in for him started the job.

"NEW GUY! Move it!" Jan yelled, almost jumping over the bar and again, but being held back by Bruce.

"I am coming, I am coming!"

The door leading to the kitchen opened, and Steve's eyes widened when he saw a familiar figure with about dozen plates with neatly cut pieces of carrot cake.

"Bucky?!" Steve exclaimed, or would have, if he didn't have a mouthful of coffee and the liquid spilled from his mouth and trickled down his chin. Luckily, Natasha was alert and pressed a napkin to his mouth before any coffee could reach his shirt, but Steve still heard Tony's pearly laughter somewhere in the distance. For being such a neat person in general, Steve was a huge spiller.

"As for a place that's supposed to be relaxing, you guys are awfully nervous," Bucky grumbled, making his way out of the bar, sporting a Meow Cafe apron worn over black jeans and buttoned shirt, "hi Nat, Steve. Have some cake," Bucky smiled cheekily and slid two plates over the bar. Once again it was up to Natasha to save the moment and catch both plates, as Steve was still too stunned to move.

"Less chit chat more work!" Janet urged, putting some cups of coffee on the empty place on the tray. "Our guests are waiting for coffee! You need to step up your game if you want to work here, you have some big shoes to fill in! Well, metaphorically big shoes, because Tony has tiny feet---"

Steve saw Bucky quickening his pace, clearly escaping from chattering Janet, who followed him closely, talking his ears off. Bucky working at a cat cafe. That was something Steve didn't expect. Clearly, Bucky's fondness for cats ran deeper than Steve thought…

"Let's go and sit," Natasha gently bumped shoulders with Steve's and pushed two plates with cakes into his hands, as she took their coffee. They went to the couch, the same one where Sam, Rhodey and Thor were sitting on, leaving Bruce on coffee duty and giving him some off time. Steve glanced at the back, and saw Tony making his way into the bar area, and taking out clean coffee cups out of the washing machine. Seemed that he won't be able to spend any time with Tony today… After all, it was the opening, a big day for everybody.

When Steve and Natasha made it to the couch, Bucky was serving the last pieces of cake, the very last one going to Sam.

"Saved you the biggest one, doll," he winked at his boyfriend and Sam beamed a proud smile.

"You managed to lose Janet?" Natasha asked with a teasing grin, sitting in the big armchair.

"She stopped to play with Cajetan and talk to that weird, sad kid," Bucky explained.

"That weird kid happens to be my brother," Thor sent Bucky an intimidating look, which lost a lot of threatening power, as the guy stuffed his mouth with carrot cake and had some icing around his lips.

"He is weird," Bucky repeated, totally unfazed.

"I think he is interesting," Natasha smiled, peaking at the man with the small cat in his lap.

"You guys don't seem alike," Steve put in his comment. It was obvious that siblings didn't always resemble each other, but at least they had similarities. Thor, was big and muscled and had a seemingly sunny personality. His brother was smaller in posture, pale and had black hair, and didn't seek company and clearly didn't feel well surrounded by people.

"He is my stepbrother," Thor explained in a small voice, still sounding a bit wounded and sending hurt looks towards Bucky.

"You really shouldn't be the one to judge people! Remember how we met? I gave you five dollars because I thought you were living on the street!" Sam laughed, putting his fork into the carrot cake and taking a bite.

"What?!" everyone exclaimed, as Bucky froze in silent panic.

"You told me you bumped into Sam on a street!" Steve accused Bucky. Another hidden secret. His friend was asking for a long talk.

"You need to tell us!" Natasha smiled wide and evil, crossing her legs for a more comfortable position.

"I am glad to know I wasn't the first one to think he was a homeless guy," Rhodey laughed.

"Believe me, you were not the first one," Steve shook his head. It happened more often than he would like to admit to, but well, that was his best friend.

"There is nothing to tell---" Bucky tried to cut the topic off, but Sam already started.

"I saw him at the subway station. He was sitting on the floor and playing guitar, so I stopped and gave him five dollars to buy himself something warm to eat. And then he used the same five dollars to buy me a coffee--"

"That's basically what I told you!" Bucky explained himself, feeling Steve's angry look.

"You left some parts out," Steve muttered, "and I told you to stop doing that!" he hissed, meaning Bucky's habit of playing guitar in the middle of the city. Bucky claimed that he was entertaining, for Steve, he was asking for trouble. "You will get yourself beaten up one day! Don't walk away when I am talking to you!" Steve kept yelling, as Bucky trotted to serve more coffee, moving his mouth to Steve's words and making faces, mocking him.

"--- and now he has a decent job! My parents keep asking about him and I can finally introduce him!" Sam finished the story, seemingly oblivious to Bucky and Steve's confrontation.

"Guys, better enjoy that carrot cake, we ran out!" Tony called, walking to his group of friends, and collecting the plates and cups he could. "But the honey cake finally cooled down!" he added quickly, noticing Thor's sad puppy look. That guy could eat.

"You started making honey cake again?!" Rhodey called, almost jumping out of his seat. "Dibs on a piece!" he raised his hand up and waved frantically.

"Of course, you will get some, honey bear."

"Oh, so here is the party for all cat people!" someone yelled out.

"Behave," came a deeper and mellow voice.

"Hey, guys! Over here!" Sam raised his hand and waved to the two people standing in the doorway.

It was T'Challa and a friend. They walked to the group, T'Challa in long, broad steps, straight as a board, the other one moved softer, as if almost dancing to some disco music, which wasn't a wrong association as his shirt had a mix logos of old music bands.

"You all know T'Challa already," Rhodey introduced his work colleagues and T'Challa nodded to the group, "and this is Peter," he pointed to the other guy.

"Sup!" Peter clicked his tongue and made a finger gun at the group. He was blond and had some curly hair on top of his head and a light stubble. He was wearing a bomber jacket and jeans, and his style was clearly inspired by the 80s. A total opposite of T'Challa, who was wearing an all black suit, and looked refined and polished. Peter had some rough charm to himself.

"Hi! How is Ramzes?" someone asked, and Steve would focus on that, curious to hear how T'Challa was doing with the loud senior cat, if it wasn't for a whisper next to him.

"Wow, they are hot," Tony gaped at both men, the tray almost slipping out of his hands. What made him grip it back, was Steve's judging look, but what really sent panic down his spine, was the way Rhodey glared at him. Seemed that Tony still didn't learn. "… Hot in here!" Tony corrected himself, closing and opening his mouth in brief panic. "Who wants iced coffee?!" he called into the air, walking away with the tray, cups and plates clinking gently.

Steve should be offended. Yet, at this point, he only smiled to himself and shook his head at his boyfriend's behavior.

"Don't worry," Rhodey said and Steve looked at him, as Rhodey picked up some of the plates Tony left behind, "I know when that idiot is really in love," he stood up, and went to put the plates away.

Steve kept smiling and looked at the piece of carrot cake he was handed earlier, feeling something warm inside. He focused on that and started eating, listening to his friends talking.

***

"Sit down!"

"But---"

"You were standing for the whole day! Sit down!"

"But we need---"

"SIT. DOWN!!"

Pepper raised her hands up in a desperate gesture. Not having any other choice, she plopped down on the couch, obediently staying where her crew had pointed her to. "Here. I am sitting, happy?"

"Yes," Janet beamed, as Bucky and Bruce were cleaning the cafe, joined by Sam, Rhodey and Steve. "We will handle it, you rest!" Janet decided, walking away with Natasha to collect plates and cups from the tables. Clint and Tony were nowhere to be seen, but that probably meant that they were back in the cats' room, refilling the bowls with food and water and cleaning the litter boxes for the night.

The cafe was emptying, their guests already had left and cats were nestling for a night of sleep. Tomorrow would be a new day and cafe would function normally, ready to serve more guests and look for homes for the new cats.

"Did you count the cats?!" Pepper turned around from her place on the couch, when Tony and Clint walked out from the bar area.

"Six!" Tony called back, "seven more to find!"

"I am on it!" Clint took the job and walked to the playground area, ready to play 'spot the cat'.

"Before we turn the bar off, does anyone want something?! Coffee, tea?!" Bruce called and collected some orders, while the rest was cleaning. It didn't take long to clean with so many helpers, and soon the cafe became spotless again, ready for tomorrow.

"Thanks, guys. You all did a great job today," Pepper smiled gratefully as her crew and friends sat around her and the group enjoyed a last cup of coffee, mugs handed out by Clint and Janet.

"Milady, your coffee," Clint said charmingly, offering Natasha a cup of black and strong coffee. "As black and bitter as your soul, just the way you like it," he added with a cheerful grin and Natasha cooed a thank you, taking the cup and gesturing towards Bruce to join them.

Steve held his latte and Tony's double espresso and looked around for his boyfriend. He saw him at the other end of the cafe, alone and standing in front of the colorful wall. Steve made his way there, not recalling such colorful wall being in the cafe. Soon, it all made sense. He joined Tony and smiled at the black wall with photos all cats that had ever been adopted from Meow Cafe, in their forever homes, each photo signed by the owner in a colorful marker. Cow, Ariel, Tsuki, Crazeh… They were all there, including some cats Steve didn't have an occasion to meet. There were also current cats's photos on the wall, ready for adoption and looking for their humans. Steve remembered Meow Cafe guests crowding in this spot earlier, but didn't know why. It was a great memento and a tribute.

"That's incredible," Steve smiled, looking at Tony with love. "You helped all those cats, you know that? You helped them find a home," he said and he couldn't possibly love Tony anymore.

"I had some help," Tony answered and turned to Steve, smiling and a bit teary eyed. Thinking about his former pupils, always made him emotional. The mood changed drastically when he noticed what Steve was holding. "Is that a latte?!" he gasped out in horror, looking at the cup.

"Um… Yeah, but don't worry, it is for me, I have an espresso for you---"

"You have been drinking lattes the whole evening?!"

"Yes?"

"The hell--- BRUCE!!" Tony called, leaning out from behind Steve and looking at his group of friends, "you have been serving Steve lattes?! Regular or soy milk?! REGULAR OR SOY?!"

Bruce didn't answer. The way he curled between Natasha and Clint was an answer in itself. Hey, it was a busy night. He forgot. Bucky tsked and shook his head. It wasn't a secret that Steve was lactose intolerant, yet, sometimes it seemed that Steve was the one who forgot most often.

"Oh God," Tony whined, hiding face in his hands and after a while glaring at Steve through his fingers. "You are so not sleeping in my bed tonight!"

Steve couldn't help it. Tony looked so indignant and mad, he had to put the coffee on the nearby table, as he started to shake with silent laughter and it was hard to keep the cups steadily in his hands.

"I am serious!" Tony shrilled, pointing an accusing finger at Steve and not understanding what was so amusing about this situation, "last time you had milk, Fig was terrified! It was like an all-night artillery shooting!"

Steve did the only thing he could in this situation. He hugged wriggling Tony close and kept laughing until his hotheaded boyfriend ended his tantrum.

***

It was a week after the opening of the Meow Cafe and everything was going smoothly. Bucky got the job, and happily served coffee and took care of the cats, under Janet's watchful eye, whose enthusiasm and passion earned her the main barista title, that previously belonged to Tony. Sam finally introduced his parents to Bucky, inviting them to the Meow Cafe one evening. Bruce, Natasha and Clint could be seen more often together, becoming more open about their relationship. Even Rhodey finally bought an apartment in New York and could regularly meet with Pepper and Tony, without taking their friends' couch for the night. But most importantly, new cats were bonding with new people and had chances to find their forever homes. Soon, Meow Cafe had the first adoption and it was Peter, the guy T'Challa brought for the opening, who was the first one to adopt a cat and Cajetan found his forever home. And Tony and Steve kept working and being in a relationship and loved each other and possibly couldn't be happier.

Everything was just fine.

Just. Fine.

Fine.

Fine?

It was wrong.

Something was horribly, horribly wrong.

"Ah… Ah!! Hah!!"

"Meow!!"

"Tony…"

"Nghhh… No, don't--- AH!"

"MEOW!!"

It was wrong, wrong, wrong. His human was crying and it sounded like if he was in pain and he didn't know why. He needed to help him. Figaro started to frantically scratch on the locked door, needing to get inside. He needed to protect his friend.

"HAH! Ah ah ah!!"

"MEEEOOOW!!!"

"Tony!!"

"Yghhhh OKAY FINE!"

The door suddenly opened, and before Figaro could slide inside and attack with sharp claws whoever was hurting his friend, he was hoisted up and carried away, pressed to bare, human skin. Figaro blinked at that and saw the room moving and instead of being in the corridor, he suddenly found himself in the bathroom.

"Fiiiiig," Tony whined, locking the door and putting the cat down. Figaro immediately brushed around his human's legs, relieved to see that he was fine, although the lack of clothing and raised body temperature was a bit alarming.

"Yeah, yeah, I love you too, but Fig!" Tony snapped his fingers and crouched down to get to a more or less the same eye level as his cat, "focus now! Remember the talk we had?"

Figaro sat his fluffy butt down, looking at his human. They had many talks. He should be more specific. Humans were so unreasonable sometimes.

"The first one?" Tony emphasized. "The very first one? Come on, I know you can remember."

The first one…

Ooohh…

Figaro remembered. It was a long time ago. A very long time ago, when his hind paw was hurting and everything, including his human, seemed a lot bigger and scarier.

"We are here! This is where you live now!"

He looked around, seeing an unknown, big place. It was big, but also warm. He liked warm.

"This is where you will eat. Here I will put a litter box for you. And here is where we will sleep!"

His bright eyes followed, trying to take everything in. It seemed like a lot, but he would handle it.

"Oh, but first thing first…"

The human sat down and kept him on his lap. It was warm and soft, and he suddenly felt very sleepy.

"Listen," the human said, and stroked a single finger along his head and he closed his eyes in content. That felt nice. "I promise to keep you healthy, well fed and safe, and when the time comes, I will help you move on as quickly and painlessly as possible," the human said, sounding serious and he opened his eyes, feeling that it was an important moment, "in return, you will do your stuff into the litter box, won't wake me up at nights and allow me to get laid when I bring someone home, okay?"

A tiny meow. Not quite an agreement, as he didn't understand most of the words, but it seemed important to his human.

"Okay," human smiled, and scratched behind his ears. Nice. "You need a name…" human said, looking at him with a thoughtful face. "Can't think without music. Gimme a sec," human continued and slid the kitten gently off his lap, walking away. He didn't move away, when some loud noise filled the apartment and he curled in himself, eyes widening up in fear.

"Ooops, sorry!" human amended, making the noise quieter. It was a sound he never heard before. It was like screaming, but there was some pattern to it.

"You okay, buddy?" human asked sympathetically and sat back on the couch, taking him back in his lap. He continued to curl, alerted by the sound. Somehow it reminded him of his time outside, but it was different. He was safe now.

"My mom used to listen to this all the time," human said, closing his eyes and stroking a gentle hand along his back, remembering. It had to be a fond memory and he felt the happy vibes the person was giving.

"Meow," he said quietly, reminding of his presence.

"Hm? You like it too?" that's not exactly what the meow stand for, but he would train the human with time to better understand him. "Okay, so… How about Figaro? Do you like it as a name?"

"Meow!"

The human smiled and he felt he made something good happen. "Then it is settled. This will be your new name. Figaro!"

During the years, Figaro tried to keep most of the promises. Yet, he felt scolded and lowered his beautiful head in shame.

"I knew you can remember."

Hmm, so get laid mean mating. A cat learns something new every day. He interrupted his humans mating. At least he knew it wasn't pain and could calm down.

"Okay, we will do it like this," Tony decided and Figaro saw bare feet walking away. Tony opened the closet under the sink where he kept the clean towels and put some out, for Figaro to squeeze in if he would decide to, and poured some water into the sink, in case if the cat got thirsty. Not the best conditions, but it would do for a while and he saw Figaro licking off droplets of water from the sink numerous times already, so it shouldn't be that bad.

"I will let you out soon, okay?" Tony said, petting his cat's head and walking to the door. Figaro closed his eyes, giving his human a permission to leave. Quietly, Tony slid out and closed the door. Figaro looked around the spacious bathroom and decided to nap for the time being. He walked to the closet and threw out with his paw some more of the towels and squeezed inside, curling into a little ball in the tight space. Purrfect.

***

It was so warm and nice. He was cuddled into a warm person and there was a hand scrubbing his head. He was practically melting.

Tony purred playfully at the morning affection, letting the other man know, that he was slowly wakening up. The scrubbing stopped for a moment and then continued with tender care.

"Good morning," Steve whispered, pressing lips to brunet's curly hair.

"Morning," Tony answered, stretching his legs and sinking back into Steve, not bothering to open his eyes. It was just too sweet to move and he could still feel the afterglow from the long, hot night they had.

"I have to get up," Steve said, moving his fingers to stroke along Tony's nape.

"No, you don't," Tony argued, not keen on letting his personal heater go.

"Yes, I do," Steve argued back and smiled, gently moving away and pressing kisses into Tony's face and tickling his ribs and sides gently when the stubborn brunet still didn't want to let go. Giggling and breathless, Tony dropped back into the bed and stayed entangled in the covers, smiling sweet and in love, getting the same smile back from the blond.

"I will get some lunch for us on way back," Steve promised, leaning down and kissing his boyfriend. Never enough of kisses. "And you can stay in bed and cuddle with Figaro now."

Tony scrunched his nose. Seeing that Steve mentioned him… Why their cat wasn't in bed with them? Figaro should be already between them and taking up space, instead they had a nice morning and woke up cuddled to each other---

Oh, son of a---

Steve almost fell off the bed, alarmed by the loud wheeze and the way Tony rushed out, bare feet running on the wooden floor. He heard him stopping in the corridor and opening the door loudly, almost ripping it out of the hinges.

"FIGARO!!" Tony called in real panic, as if spending half of the night in a closed bathroom, would scar his cat horribly. Figaro calmly peaked out his head from among the towels, happily sleeping in warmth and peace. Humans had to be always so loud.

"FIG, I AM SO SORRY!" Tony scrambled to his cat and took him out from among the towels and hugged close to his chest, cradling him in his arms. "MY POOR BABY!"

"Is Fig okay?!" Steve called from the bedroom, feeling alarmed by the cries, but also knowing that Tony could be overdramatic sometimes.

"NO THANKS TO YOU!" Tony yelled, deeply offended. "YOU MADE ME LOCK MY BABY AWAAAY!"

Steve raised his eyes to the ceiling. Drama, drama, drama. He would have to buy a package of bacon and a box of donuts on his way home to placate both Figaro and Tony.

So, this was what his life became…

He wouldn't trade it for the world.

And with that thought he went to the kitchen to prepare a breakfast for all of them, smiling on his way.

<-- previous chapter

thank you for loving this series and thank you to my friends and readers for letting me borrow their cats! look below for a surprise!

Meow Cafe Cats

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salty-dracon · 7 years

Text

SA- A checkup

After Val moves to Rubicon City, Cirrus goes to check on him. His welcome is not warm whatsoever.

“The only good thing about Cross Airlines is that they have free Wi-Fi.” As Vincent left the plane, Aiden followed him. They walked into an airport, where many passengers were waiting.

“True that.” Aiden said. They stepped onto an escalator and traveled up a floor to the baggage claim.

“We’ll just hit the road once we grab our bag, and then drop in at RC central. We’ll be there in two hours if we’re lucky.”

“Right.” Aiden smiled at the tiles on the floor, which formed elaborate pictures. “Any news on how Val’s doing?”

“Perfectly well, according to school reports. He’s quite the troublemaker, I’ve heard. Nearly got into a couple of fights. Snaps at the teachers. He’s a handful. But he’s made a couple of friends.” The pair stopped in front of a baggage carousel. “One being the other boy that has been recruited into the Ducklings program.”

“Who, Adamant?”

“Yeah. They hit it off pretty well, actually.” Vincent lifted a plastic suitcase out of the baggage carousel.

“Nice.” Aiden pulled out his suitcase, which was slightly worn. “Come on, let’s go find the car.”

-------

“Where is he?” Miss T growled as she read the e-mail.

“Well, his flight just landed.” Layla took off her headphones. “As far as I can tell, nothing’s coming our way. Related to him, at least.”

“And how long is he staying?”

“He’s booked a hotel room. He should be popping in for only an hour. Also, he wants you to bring Amplify in.”

“I hope he isn’t going to do anything crazy.”

“Oh no, he’s just here to make sure Val’s adjusted.” Layla held her hand out. A series of rectangles appeared in front of her. “I assume he’s already looked at school reports, which don’t look too favorable.”

“Which means?”

“If we compare them to everything before the big move, there’s been no change whatsoever.”

“I still don’t understand why he chose a troublemaker like Valentin. I understand he was targeted by Angel, but that boy has suffered trauma at his hands, and that is no reason-”

“Perhaps not. Anyway, I’m heading down to lunch. Would you like to join us?”

“Can you bring me the usual? I’ll be busy preparing for Cirrus’s visit.”

“Extra tomatoes and mustard? Sure!” Layla scrambled out of Miss T’s office, leaving her alone.

-----------

“So? How was the welcome?” At a fast food restaurant, Aiden chomped down on a burger.

“Interesting.” came the reply. “The architecture’s quite nice, but I was almost used as target practice for some lady throwing razor blades. As well as nearly burnt by a burst of flame. And then stabbed in the shoulder by a needle from some self-identified doctor. Followed by being attacked by a deranged lady in a cat costume. She called herself Calico and dragged me to the branch head’s office.”

“Rough day.”

“Yes, well, it’s not over. I’m still waiting on Amplify. Like I said, I’m going to need your help with him.”

“No prob, Vince.”

“Finish up that Ranch’s taquito with extra jalepenos and get over here. Please.”

“No problem, boss.”

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

As soon as Aiden walked through the door, he was greeted with curious stares and familiar faces. A woman in a magician outfit played with a deck of cards while staring at him. Aiden quickly moved on, but suddenly bumped into someone.

“Sorry.” Aiden recognized the face. It was the woman he noticed at the branch meeting six months ago. He stuck his hand out and introduced himself. “Aiden... Aiden Keri. I’m, um... ”

“Phoenix. I know.” The woman shook his hand. “You seem worried. Are you all right, Aiden?”

“I’m fine.”

“Are you waiting on someone?”

“Yeah, my friend... ”

“Oh. Vince, right?”

“Yeah, I think he’s in a meeting... ”

“No problem. I’ll take you to him.”

Aiden followed the woman to a room marked “TRAINING FACILITY #3″. The center was huge, he thought. He also wondered who the woman leading him around was. All he remembered was that she was an English teacher who played softball once. She looked attractive to him- a smooth, mature, and serious face framed with black and blue hair, and a pair of well-manicured hands that meant business. The rest was hidden behind a pair of yoga pants and a T-shirt.

“Um, who are you?” he asked.

“Layla Hauja. Otherwise known as Searchlight.” The woman did not turn around.

“What do you do?”

“I am the branch head’s right hand. I organize and communicate with the other agents here. Occasionally I also work in the field, but I am not well-known by the populace. Frankly, I like it that way.” She laughed. “I’m really more of an office worker than a superhero.”

“All... right.” Aiden blushed. “I, uh, noticed you at the, um, director’s meeting last year. In, uh, Detroit, was it?”

“Where Vince proposed the Ducklings program?”

“Yeah.”

“I remember that meeting.” The woman pointed to the door. “Vince is waiting in there. He asked you to be careful and not to argue with any of them. One’s got quite a sharp tongue, I recall.”

“All right.”

Inside, Vince watched the three Ducklings perform a strange stunt- Amplify sitting on Thunder Witch’s shoulders, who was in turn sitting on Adamant’s shoulders.

“You guys are children.”Kat growled, struggling to maintain her balance on Jake’s shoulders while balancing Val on hers.

“Hey, this is fun.” Val laughed. “We just need a trench coat and we can save money at the movies.”

“How’d that happen?” Aiden asked.

Vince explained. “While you were waiting, Booster-”

“It’s Val to you, old fart!” Val shouted.

“Sorry, Val, decided to hop on Jake’s shoulders. Their rationale being that Val was weightless and Jake had super strength. I told them that in such a scenario, they would only need one of their powers. So they brought Kat in.”

“Oh. So, what did you need?”

“I want you to help me monitor them. Tell me what you notice. I’ll get a training bot out for them.”

As he spoke, a hole opened in the wall and

“All right... ” He turned to the kids. “Who’s first? Val? Jake?”

Kat cracked her knuckles and stepped forward.

“Kat. All right.”

Kat smiled. She grabbed the ends of her gloves and tugged. They exploded into a mass of cloth, transforming Kat into a superhero wearing a short black and golden cape with a hood and golden mask.

“Give it all you’ve got.” Vince reminded.

Kat made no motion of acknowledgement. She jumped forward, her hand crackling with electricity. The robot dodged her first attack and aimed a punch at Kat. Kat hopped on her hands and launched into an electric spin.

“Okay. Now Val, I want you to join in. Reminder that the robot is stronger than you.”

Val nodded and threw himself into the fight. He tugged on his scarf. It exploded into a gray suit and mask. He twirled a trident in his arms. He jumped high into the air and landed a forceful kick on the robot, knocking it back. Kat’s next kick landed on the ground. She glared at Val before continuing to fight.

“Turning up the difficulty level.” Vincent said. “Jake, you’re in.”

“Now?”

“Yes, now!”

Jake jumped into the middle of the fight. Val noticed and repositioned his feet. Jake held his hands out and caught Val’s feet. He launched him back at the robot. Val jabbed the head of the robot as he flew into its head. The robot fell over. Kat growled and sunk her fist into the robot’s circuits. One zap, and it was toast.

“There. We took it down.” she said. “What’s next?”

“Your analysis is complete.” Vince said. “Aiden, tell me what you picked up.”

“Val and Jake have very good sync. Without even uttering a word, you managed to land the final blow on the bot together.”

“Thank you, sir.” Jake beamed.

“Kat was out of touch with both of you, however.” he said. “While I have no doubt Kat could have taken the bot on her own, she was unable to compromise with you. When it’s a singular target like this, all allies need to focus their fire- and be able to work with their teammates.”

“That’s their thing.” Kat pointed to the boys. “Not mine.”

“Therein lies the problem.” Vince said. “Someday, all three of you might face a foe as powerful and intelligent as Angel. You will not win alone against him, Kat. Especially since your powers are best only at short range.”

“So are his!” Kat pointed to Val.

“We’re training all of you how to shoot in the coming weeks.” Vince continued. “Until then, I want you three to keep practicing. And Kat, if you could spend some time with them to learn how to compromise your skills and moments of attack, it would be great.”

Kat rolled her eyes.

------

“Do you want to be my first test subject?”

A pair of red glowing eyes floated above the young woman’s body.��

“Stay away from me, you monster!” The woman pushed against the approaching man.

“That tickles!” The man laughed as the woman pushed his face away, then pinned her hands down.

“Monster!”

“This won’t hurt a bit, my dear.”

A brighter flash of red light.

“The Dark Angel. Aren’t his wings beautiful?” The man’s voice grew soft and sultry.

“Yes... ” the woman whispered back.

“Perhaps you would like to be embraced by them?”

“Of course... ” The woman moved into Angel’s arms. She sighed with pleasure as his wings curled around her.

“You are such a lovely woman.” Angel whispered. “Would you do something for me?”

“Anything... ”

“Feed my power. Take this.” Angel worked a knife into her hands. “Sink it deep into your chest. Let the blood spill all over me.”

“Of course... ”

Angel watched as the woman shoved the knife into her chest. Blood splattered all over their clothes. She pulled the knife out and grabbed him before dying in his arms.

“Good night, my dear.” Angel laid the woman on the ground and folded up her dress and arms. “There we go. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.”

#secretagents

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folklore-and-fairytales · 4 years

Text

THE PRINCESS OF THE GOLDEN CASTLE -A Free Story

From the ebook “The Counterpane Fairy”

TEDDY was all alone, for his mother had been up with him so much the night before that at about four o'clock in the afternoon she said that she was going to lie down for a little while.

The room where Teddy lay was very pleasant, with two big windows, and the furniture covered with gay old-fashioned India calico. His mother had set a glass of milk on the table beside his bed, and left the stair door ajar so that he could call Hannah, the cook, if he wanted anything, and then she had gone over to her own room.

The little boy had always enjoyed being ill, for then he was read aloud to and had lemonade, but this had been a real illness, and though he was better now, the doctor still would not let him have anything but milk and gruel. He was feeling rather lonely, too, though the fire crackled cheerfully, and he could hear Hannah singing to herself in the kitchen below.

Teddy turned over the leaves of Robinson Crusoe for a while, looking at the gaily colored pictures, and then he closed it and called, "Hannah!" The singing in the kitchen below ceased, and Teddy knew that Hannah was listening. "Hannah!" he called again.

At the second call Hannah came hurrying up the stairs and into the room. "What do you want, Teddy?" she asked.

"Hannah, I want to ask mamma something," said Teddy.

"Oh," said Hannah, "you wouldn't want me to call your poor mother, would you, when she was up with you the whole of last night and has just gone to lie down a bit?"

"I want to ask her something," repeated Teddy.

"You ask me what you want to know," suggested Hannah. "Your poor mother's so tired that I'm sure you are too much of a man to want me to call her."

"Well, I want to ask her if I may have a cracker," said Teddy.

"Oh, no; you couldn't have that," said Hannah. "Don't you know that the doctor said you mustn't have anything but milk and gruel? Did you want to ask her anything else?"

"No," said Teddy, and his lip trembled.

After that Hannah went down-stairs to her work again, and Teddy lay staring out of the window at the windy gray clouds that were sweeping across the April sky. He grew lonelier and lonelier and a lump rose in his throat; presently a big tear trickled down his cheek and dripped off his chin.

"Oh dear, oh dear!" said a little voice just back of the hill his knees made as he lay with them drawn up in bed; "what a hill to climb!"

Teddy stopped crying and gazed wonderingly toward where the voice came from, and presently over the top of his knees appeared a brown peaked hood, a tiny withered face, a flapping brown cloak, and last of all two small feet in buckled shoes. It was a little old woman, so weazened and brown that she looked more like a dried leaf than anything else.

She seated herself on Teddy's knees and gazed down at him solemnly, and she was so light that he felt her weight no more than if she had been a feather.

Teddy lay staring at her for a while, and then he asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm the Counterpane Fairy," said the little figure, in a thin little voice.

"I don't know what that is," said Teddy.

"Well," said the Counterpane Fairy, "it's the sort of a fairy that lives in houses and watches out for the children. I used to be one of the court fairies, but I grew tired of that. There was nothing in it, you know."

"Nothing in what?" asked Teddy.

"Nothing in the court life. All day the fairies were swinging in spider-webs and sipping honey-dew, or playing games of hide-and-go-seek. The only comfort I had was with an old field-mouse who lived at the edge of the wood, and I used to spend a great deal of time with her; I used to take care of her babies when she was out hunting for something to eat; cunning little things they were, -- five of them, all fat and soft, and with such funny little tails."

"What became of them?"

"Oh, they moved away. They left before I did. As soon as they were old enough, Mother Field-mouse went. She said she couldn't stand the court fairies. They were always playing tricks on her, stopping up the door of her house with sticks and acorns, and making faces at her babies until they almost drove them into fits. So after that I left too."

"Where did you go?"

"Oh, hither and yon. Mostly where there were little sick boys and girls."

"Do you like little boys?"

"Yes, when they don't cry," said the Counterpane Fairy, staring at him very hard.

"Well, I was lonely," said Teddy. "I wanted my mamma."

"Yes, I know, but you oughtn't to have cried. I came to you, though, because you were lonely and sick, and I thought maybe you would like me to show you a story."

"Do you mean tell me a story?" asked Teddy.

"No," said the fairy, "I mean show you a story. It's a game I invented after I joined the Counterpane Fairies. Choose any one of the squares of the counterpane and I will show you how to play it. That's all you have to do, -- to choose a square."

Teddy looked the counterpane over carefully. "I think I'll choose that yellow square," he said, "because it looks so nice and bright."

"Very well," said the Counterpane Fairy. "Look straight at it and don't turn your eyes away until I count seven times seven and then you shall see the story of it."

Teddy fixed his eyes on the square and the fairy began to count. "One--two--three--four," she counted; Teddy heard her voice, thin and clear as the hissing of the logs on the hearth. "Don't look away from the square," she cried. "Five--six--seven" --it seemed to Teddy that the yellow silk square was turning to a mist before his eyes and wrapping everything about him in a golden glow. "Thirteen--fourteen" --the fairy counted on and on. "Forty-six--forty-seven--forty-eight--FORTY-NINE!"

At the words forty-nine, the Counterpane Fairy clapped her hands and Teddy looked about him. He was no longer in a golden mist. He was standing in a wonderful enchanted garden. The sky was like the golden sky at sunset, and the grass was so thickly set with tiny yellow flowers that it looked like a golden carpet. From this garden stretched a long flight of glass steps. They reached up and up and up to a great golden castle with shining domes and turrets.

"Listen!" said the Counterpane Fairy. "In that golden castle there lies an enchanted princess. For more than a hundred years she has been lying there waiting for the hero who is to come and rescue her, and you are the hero who can do it if you will."

With that the fairy led him to a little pool close by, and bade him look in the water. When Teddy looked, he saw himself standing there in the golden garden, and he did not appear as he ever had before. He was tall and strong and beautiful, like a hero.

"Yes," said Teddy, "I will do it."

At these words, from the grass, the bushes, and the tress around, suddenly started a flock of golden birds. They circled about him and over him, clapping their wings and singing triumphantly. Their song reminded Teddy of the blackbirds that sang on the lawn at home in the early spring, when the daffodils were up. Then in a moment they were all gone, and the garden was still again.

Their song had filled his heart with a longing for great deeds, and, without pausing longer, he ran to the glass steps and began to mount them.

Up and up and up he went. Once he turned and waved his hand to the Counterpane Fairy in the golden garden far below. She waved her hand in answer, and he heard her voice faint and clear. "Good-bye! Good-bye! Be brave and strong, and beware of that that is little and gray."

Then Teddy turned his face toward the castle, and in a moment he was standing before the great shining gates.

He raised his hand and struck bravely upon the door. There was no answer. Again he struck upon it, and his blow rang through the hall inside; then he opened the door and went in.

The hall was five-sided, and all of pure gold, as clear and shining as glass. Upon three sides of it were three arched doors; one was of emerald, one was of ruby, and one was of diamond; they were arched, and tall, and wide, -- fit for a hero to go through. The question was, behind which one lay the enchanted princess.

While Teddy stood there looking at them and wondering, he heard a little thin voice, that seemed to be singing to itself, and this is what it sang:

"In and out and out and in, Quick as a flash I weave and spin. Some may mistake and some forget, But I'll have my spider-web finished yet."

When Teddy heard the song, he knew that someone must be awake in the enchanted castle, so he began looking about him.

On the fourth side of the wall there hung a curtain of silvery-gray spider-web, and the voice seemed to come from it. The hero went toward it, but he saw nothing, for the spider that was spinning it moved so fast that no eyes could follow it. Presently it paused up in the left-hand corner of the web, and then Teddy saw it. It looked very little to have spun all that curtain of silvery web.

As Teddy stood looking at it, it began to sing again:

"Here in my shining web I sit, To look about and rest a bit. I rest myself a bit and then, Quick as a flash, I begin again."

"Mistress Spinner! Mistress Spinner!" cried Teddy. "Can you tell me where to find the enchanted princess who lies asleep waiting for me to come and rescue her?"

The spider sat quite still for a while, and then it said in a voice as thin as a hair: "You must go through the emerald door; you must go through the emerald door. What so fit as the emerald door for the hero who would do great deeds?"

Teddy did not so much as stay to thank the little gray spinner, he was in such a hurry to find the princess, but turning he sprang to the emerald door, flung it open, and stepped outside.

He found himself standing on the glass steps, and as his foot touched the topmost one the whole flight closed up like an umbrella, and in a moment Teddy was sliding down the smooth glass pane, faster and faster and faster until he could hardly catch his breath.

The next thing he knew he was standing in the golden garden, and there was the Counterpane Fairy beside him looking at him sadly. "You should have known better than to try the emerald door," she said; "and now shall we break the story?"

"Oh, no, no!" cried Teddy, and he was still the hero. "Let me try once more, for it may be I can yet save the princess."

Then the Counterpane Fairy smiled. "Very well," she said, "you shall try again; but remember what I told you, beware of that that is little and gray, and take this with you, for it may be of use." Stooping, she picked up a blade of grass from the ground and handed it to him.

The hero took it wondering, and in his hands it was changed to a sword that shone so brightly that it dazzled his eyes. Then he turned, and there was the long flight of glass steps leading up to the golden castle just as before; so thrusting the magic sword into his belt, he ran nimbly up and up and up, and not until he reached the very topmost step did he turn and look back to wave farewell to the Counterpane Fairy below. She waved her hand to him. "Remember," she called, "beware of what is little and gray."

He opened the door and went into the five-sided golden hall, and there were the three doors just as before, and the spider spinning and singing on the fourth side:

"Now the brave hero is wiser indeed; He may have failed once, but he still may succeed. Dull are the emeralds; diamonds are bright; So is his wisdom that shines as the light."

"The diamond door!" cried Teddy. "Yes, that is the door that I should have tried. How could I have thought the emerald door was it?" and opening the diamond door he stepped through it.

He hardly had time to see that he was standing at the top of the glass steps, before --br-r-r-r! --they had shut up again into a smooth glass hill, and there he was spinning down them so fast that the wind whistled past his ears.

In less time than it takes to tell, he was back again for the third time in the golden garden, with the Counterpane Fairy standing before him, and he was ashamed to raise his eyes.

"So!" said the Counterpane Fairy. "Did you know no better than to open the diamond door?"

"No," said Teddy, "I knew no better."

"Then," said the fairy, "if you can pay no better heed to my warnings than that, the princess must wait for another hero, for you are not the one."

"Let me try but once more," cried Teddy, "for this time I shall surely find her."

"Then you may try once more and for the last time," said the fairy, "but beware of what is little and gray." Stooping she picked from the grass beside her a fallen acorn cup and handed it to him. "Take this with you," she said, "for it may serve you well."

As he took it from her, it was changed in his hand to a goblet of gold set round with precious stones. He thrust it into his bosom, for he was in haste, and turning he ran for the third time up the flight of glass steps. This time so eager was he that he never once paused to look back, but all the time he ran on up and up he was wondering what it was that she meant about her warning. She had said, "Beware of what is little and gray." What had he seen that was little and gray?

As soon as he reached the great golden hall he walked over to the curtain of spider-web. The spider was spinning so fast that it was little more than a gray streak, but presently it stopped up in the left-hand corner of the web. As the hero looked at it he saw that it was little and gray. Then it began to sing to him in its little thin voice:

"Great hero, wiser than ever before, Try the red door, try the red door. Open the door that is ruby, and then You never need search for the princess again."

"No, I will not open the ruby door," cried Teddy. "Twice have you sent me back to the golden garden, and now you shall fool me no more."

As he said this he saw that one corner of the spider-web curtain was still unfinished, in spite of the spider's haste, and underneath was something that looked like a little yellow door. Then suddenly he knew that that was the door he must go through. He caught hold of the curtain and pulled, but it was as strong as steel. Quick as a flash he snatched from his belt the magic sword, and with one blow the curtain was cut in two, and fell at his feet.

He heard the little gray spider calling to him in its thin voice, but he paid no heed, for he had opened the little yellow door and stooped his head and entered.

Beyond was a great courtyard all of gold, and with a fountain leaping and splashing back into a golden basin in the middle. Bet what he saw first of all was the enchanted princess, who lay stretched out as if asleep upon a couch all covered with cloth of gold. He knew she was a princess, because she was so beautiful and because she wore a golden crown.

He stood looking at her without stirring, and at last he whispered: "Princess! Princess! I have come to save you."

Still she did not stir. He bent and touched her, but she lay there in her enchanted sleep, and her eyes did not open. Then Teddy looked about him, and seeing the fountain he drew the magic cup from his bosom and, filling it, sprinkled the hands and face of the princess with the water.

Then her eyes opened and she raised herself upon her elbow and smiled. "Have you come at last?" she cried.

"Yes," answered Teddy, "I have come."

The princess looked about her. "But what became of the spider?" she said. Then Teddy, too, looked about, and there was the spider running across the floor toward where the princess lay.

Quickly he sprang from her side and set his foot upon it. There was a thin squeak and then --there was nothing left of the little gray spinner but a tiny gray smudge on the floor.

Instantly the golden castle was shaken from top to bottom, and there was a sound of many voices shouting outside. The princess rose to her feet and caught the hero by the hand. "You have broken the enchantment," she cried, "and now you shall be the King of the Golden Castle and reign with me."

"Oh, but I can't," said Teddy, "because --because---"

But the princess drew him out with her through the hall, and there they were at the head of the flight of glass steps. A great host of soldiers and courtiers were running up it. They were dressed in cloth of gold, and they shouted at the sight of Teddy: "Hail to the hero! Hail to the hero!" and Teddy knew them by their voices for the golden birds that had fluttered around him in the garden below.

"And all this is yours," said the beautiful princess, turning toward him with---

"So that is the story of the yellow square," said the Counterpane Fairy.

Teddy looked about him. The golden castle was gone, and the stairs, and the shouting courtiers.

He was lying in bed with the silk coverlet over his little knees and Hannah was still singing in the kitchen below.

"Did you like it?" asked the fairy.

Teddy heaved a deep sigh. "Oh! Wasn't it beautiful?" he said. Then he lay for a while thinking and smiling. "Wasn't the princess lovely?" he whispered half to himself.

The Counterpane Fairy got up slowly and stiffly, and picked up the staff that she had laid down beside her. "Well, I must be journeying on," she said.

"Oh, no, no!" cried Teddy. "Please don't go yet."

"Yes, I must," said the Counterpane Fairy. "I hear your mother coming."

"But will you come back again?" cried Teddy.

The Counterpane Fairy made no answer. She was walking down the other side of the bedquilt hill, and Teddy heard her voice, little and thin, dying away in the distance: "Oh dear, dear, dear! What a hill to go down! What a hill it is! Oh dear, dear, dear!"

Then the door opened and his mother came in. She was looking rested, and she smiled at him lovingly, but the little brown Counterpane Fairy was gone.

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ISBN: 9788834181928

URL/Download Link: https://bit.ly/2XypbiD

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