#oh gosh not me with the hybrid nonsense

[fuckyeahpunkflower]

So I heard through the grapevine that Miles was inspired by baby deer 👀 let’s just say I ran with that idea. I KNOW THIS IS CRINGE IM SORRY 😭 If y’all could suggest other animals that would fit Hobie better let me know! Or maybe y’all like wolf Hobie IDK 🙈

#punkflower #miles x hobie #hobie x miles #flowerpunk #cant get enough of punk flower #punkflower make brain go brrrr #oh gosh not me with the hybrid nonsense #I apologize dis is cringe 😔

[existslikepristin]

Little later than expected because I feel like shiiit. And, I know. "What's new?" But at the moment I mean physically. Regardless, here's ya dang story:

Tags: NSFW, S.M.U.T., genie, poor game design

(Story Index)

Figure the app out

“Well,” you say with a sigh, “I can’t read any ancient languages, so can you just help me out here?”

“Oh duh. Sorry about that, master. Old habits die hard, even if said habits are a few millennia old. We’re currently speaking… ah, yes! English! Easy peezy squeezy my buttcheeks. There you go.”

You look at your phone again. The mass of text bubbles all over the screen are now written in English. It’s still… a lot of nonsense.

“Just point me to the important parts?”

“Of course! Let’s just make you a little more comfortable.”

By the time she finishes the sentence, you’re in your room, sitting on the edge of your bed with Joy pressing her chest into your back. She reaches over your shoulders and speaks softly into your ear as she taps your phone.

“So here we have your Harem Hub, which is where you’ll be spending a decent amount of time swapping back and forth between screens. Where you’ll be spending most of your time…”

Joy touches an image of a tower with gold coins spilling out of it.

“… is here, in your Inventory—it’s called that because you own the people in your harem like they’re inanimate possessions—, where you can organize, sort, search, and summon the members of your harem as desired. As you can see, it’s currently empty, so let’s go back to the Harem Hub.”

While Joy pokes around with one hand, the other is softly rubbing your shoulder. It’s quite relaxing. Come to think of it, you are a little tired.

“Right in the center of the Harem Hub is the Summoning Portal, which summons anime girls to your Inventory, not into the real world, which is a different kind of summoning. Let’s give it a try now and see who you get!”

Before you can do anything yourself, Joy taps the portal and the app begins a series of over the top animations of overlapping summoning circles and colorful overlays. About fifteen seconds later, a naked anime girl with a pitch black hime haircut, nearly black eyes, and rather small breasts flashes on screen. She looks like pretty much every other anime character being drawn these days.

Joy gasps very dramatically, “Oh my gosh, master! You got Anecha on your first try! But she… she’s a Super Rare! You only had a zero point three percent chance of that happening! She’s from the mythical land of Sorgania, and she’s a hybrid of all three class archetypes, able to spec into any skill tree you want! She’s one of—if not the—most versatile girls you can get!”

“That’s cool,” you mutter, “Can we summon her and get fucking?”

“Oh master, you’re so funny. You can’t summon a character naked.”

“But, the whole point is to have sex with her…”

“Well yeah, but when you’re not having sex with her, she’s going to be questing! We’ll get to that in a minute. First, check it out. She was just the rarest of your summons for this pull,” Joy wraps her legs around you, fully bear hugging you from behind while she yammers on, “You also got Heyri, Emi, Bonnie, and Magz. That will make for a pretty balanced party, though you can expect Anecha to handle basically everything on her own until you get to World 4, at least. Obviously though, we need to go back to tow—I mean the Harem Hub to purchase some basic equipment. No, not that shop. That’s the cash shop where you can get more summoning shards. Right here, at the Blacksmith. You’ll want to equip Anecha first to make the first few quests as easy as possible, and you’ve got all these coins ready to go, so… Oh, fantastic! Tim has lava katanas in stock, so we absolutely have to take advantage of that in the next two minutes. We better make sure some of your other girls can benefit from those stats though, so if we check the party status screen you can see their preferred stats are highlighted in gold. It looks like Emi prefers Gumption, so a lava katana is—”

Joy’s words fade into the ether and your eyes drift shut. She’s so warm, holding you like this…

“… and that’s why you always save up your electrum ingots. You don’t want to be willy-nilly turning those into…”

“… obviously, but don’t forget that any skill cooldown can be refreshed by…”

“… back from the arena! We should go congratulate her for defeating the sand kraken, because that will bump up the congratulatory meter. Sometimes you want to hold back though, since doing it too often will give diminishing returns…”

You’re woken up by the sound of squawking birds outside and sunlight blasting your eyes through the window. You’re on your back, legs hanging off the bed. Looking to the side, you see Joy, still naked and hunched over, tapping your phone. “I know it’s labeled as a PVP mode, but since the magic is actually built into you and not the app, that’s not actually a thing. The other players’ names and teams are just randomly generated but slightly optimized versions of your own builds so that you get an idea for what’s actually possible when you spend your gems properly.”

With a yawn, you sit up, make note of your own nudity, and flinch back as you nearly headbutt a new stranger standing at the foot of your bed. “What the fu—who are you?!”

It’s a woman, wearing a skimpy purple bikini with silver trim and blue ribbons hanging off of it. Her hair and fairly large eyes are dark, midnight black. Despite the fact that she’s holding what definitely appears to be a katana made out of lava, she looks a little bit nervous. “S-sorry, master. She,” she points at Joy, who is paying you no mind, ”um, she told me to stand here and wait after summoning me…”

You look her up and down. She’s… taller than you thought she’d be, and her face is a little rounder than it had looked in the image. That picture didn’t do her pouty lower lip or her flared out hip any amount of justice. “Anecha?”

“Sorry, master. It’s pronounced ‘AH-neck-ah,’ but… No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t correct you. Sorry.”

Options:

Um, it’s the morning now. You need to go to work already. You’re probably late.

Responsibilities can wait because they’re for losers. Get a blowjob from Anecha.

Take that sword from her and mess around (safely). It’s so awesome!

Joy called Anecha "the most versatile." Fuck her while you jerk off her futa cock all over Joy’s face.

[primalsouls]

Inner Visions

can you tell what's happening?

nothing's ever what it seems

tighnari x gn!reader pt.2

theme: general

warnings: ooc Tighnari?, kinda heavy dialogues, not much but please lmk if you find anything triggering or need a warning for.

summary: Tighnari's life was safe but appreciation wasn't shown. Forgetting the new fungi, his attention moves on to an individual who claims they can see the future, which he finds to be impossible to do. No one can really see the future.

notes: outfit look because i suck at description lmao it took me a while to get this done lol. it is currently 2:00am and i work at 8am xD .... oh gosh. anyway, here is Inner Visions pt 2! would try to work on pt 3 this week or next. please enjoy and lmk what you think in the comments. the characters might be a bit ooc but that's due to me not playing the game for a long while haha. anyway, please have fun!

pt. 1

✿ some reader info ✿

has a third eye - uses to see future visions when activated, atm the third eye is ◉ᵕ◉.... third eye is the closed one haha...

a "deity" - doesn't have a region to rule nor followers to guide

third eye makes them lose energy, making them be tired easily, sleeps regains their energy/power back

wields a polearm mainly but can use more than one weapon - hand-to-hand combat mostly preferred

Kunishiko is the name I used for Wanderer haha.

more will be added once i remember haha

⌑ reblogs & feedback are appreciated here! ⌑

"That's impossible." Were the first words Tighnari spoke right after (Name) introduced themselves. The atmosphere felt thick but he wasn't sure if it was the horrendous smell of the fungi or the deep unsettling gut feeling built within the depths of his stomach. It was confusing. How was it possible for someone to see the future? What if they followed him here instead and lied about such nonsense? But if that were the case, he would have known by the sounds of their footsteps his long ears would have picked up or Iraj would have let him know there was someone behind him from the get go. Actually, how didn't his ears pick up any sound from them? Tighnari looked around. There wasn't any other entrance nearby other than the one he came from.

"I'm a light walker." (Name) answered without hearing the ranger's worried questions. Their voice caught his ears, his eyes snapped back on their figure. "You're thinking how I got here. I didn't follow you. I just saw in my visions that someone was going to die in this cave by eating a deadly mushroom. I was actually heading my way to Sumeru City. This place was just on my path there and before I could continue on, I got a flash of someone with fox-like features about to commit a stupid move."

Tighnari frowned, his bow lowered by his side. He still kept his stance up, not fully trusting (Name) yet. And they could see it in his eyes. Such pretty serious eyes. (Name) figured there was no use to continue staying in the cavern with the forest watcher. They had done their good deed for the day, there was no point in trying to prove themselves to someone. Especially when they had someone else in the city waiting for them.

"Believe me or not, take what you can from this encounter. It's not like I've expected for anyone to believe or know about me. Though, as much as I'd like to stay and chit chat with a pretty fox like you, I have to go." (Name) said as they turned on their heel, but they didn't miss the chance to see the light pink blush decorated the fox-hybrid's cheeks. Raising the hood over their head, the stranger began to walk away.

Tighnari stood there, watching their figure distances as they walked out of the cave. Bow in hands. His heart was still racing from the earlier attack—or in their case, help—(Name) caused by the use of their polearm. Letting his weapon disintegrate as he put it away behind him, Tighnari quickly climbed out of the cave. There were too many questions in his mind. The new fungi was long forgotten the moment he set his eyes on the other. Maybe they hadn't gotten too far. His ears stood on high alert for their footsteps but nothing was able to be picked up. When he reached the entrance of the cavern, Tighnari turned to Iraj.

"Iraj!" The ranger called out, hurriedly making his way towards the startled man.

"Oh, Master Tighnari! What's wrong? You looked as if you saw a ghost." Iraj said as he walked towards the dendro user. Tighnari glanced around the area for any sign of (Name).

"I hope I didn't." He said, panting under his breath. "Have you seen someone just walk out? A hooded individual with a trident?" Iraj shook his head, a look of confusion on his face.

"No, sir. No one has walked in nor walked out." The ranger said. Tighnari frowned. How was that possible? Then how was (Name) able to pass Iraj with being seen?

"I see…" His brain tried to wreck any other entrance of the cave. There was the first Southern opening just where Iraj guarded. Above them to the right was both the second southern entrance and the first northern one. But the northern opening belongs to another cavern just above the one they stood at. Maybe they came from the second way in. Though they would have been too late to stop him if they took that way in. "What are they?" He asked himself, looking back at the cave before he scanned his surroundings once more.

"Was someone in there, Master Tighnari?" Iraj asked, concern laced in his tone. The fox-hybrid scratched the back of his head, unsure what to say.

"No, um, forget it… I'm gonna leave my stuff behind there. Need to go to the city." He said. Before the ranger could say anything to stop him, Tighnari already headed on his way to Sumeru City. It was the destination they mentioned they needed to reach afterall. Who knows, maybe he would be able to catch them before they reach the city's walls.

"So, who are we meeting again, Nahida?" Paimon asked, looking down at the dendro archon with a tilt of her head. The duo were called by Nahida at the Sanctuary of Surasthana for a small meetup. They were notified by Katherine at the Guild when they went up to report their last commission. The small archon requested their presence at the sanctuary. And there they were, the archon catching them up with her latest commission.

Nahida smiled, looking up at the floating girl. "(Name). They are an old acquaintance of mine. I found out about them when I was searching for some more information about Aether's sister through memories in Irminsul Tree. There was a hidden ley line that held some unusual information about (Name). I figured with their help, maybe we could learn more about your sister." Nahida explained, turning her gaze on the puzzled traveler.

Help them learn more about his sister? Could this (Name) person have anything to do with Lumine? What could their relationship with his sister be? So many questions ran through his mind, but he won't let this opportunity slip away from his fingers. "I hope they can be of any help. Thank you, Nahida." Aether said, a kind smile crossing his face. Nahida beamed with a nod, turning her small body towards the door.

"Then let's go. They should arrive here in no time." Nahida said.

"Wait, what about Kunishiko?" Paimon asked.

Nahida giggled. "He's studying with someone right now."

The pair raised a brow. That was a first. Usually he wasn't the type to study with someone. Dismissing the whereabouts of the Wanderer, the trio descended their way to the entrance of Sumeru City. Nahida looked forward to meeting her old friend. She was grateful they managed to reach out. Hopefully there was no trouble heading their way. She didn't want anything to ruin their rekindle meeting and friendship.

Tighnari frowned. He stood at the entrance of Sumeru City but found no sight of (Name). Did they lie to him? Did they also see in the future that he was going to follow them? A scoff of a laugh left his lips. There was no such thing as future visions.

"Who would have known you would be a stalker." That alluring voice! Tighnari turned to the source. There they were, standing near the Guild with their arms crossed over their chest, the hood down to their shoulders. Registering the words from the other, Tighnari scoffed.

"I didn't stalk. I-I… I—well—I…" Why was it difficult to think of a lie? "I've… came to pick up some new materials. Yes, new materials. Since the ones I had were destroyed." Tighnari eyed the individual with a glare.

(Name) smirked, a shrug being delivered at the fennec fox. "Sounds like it could be partially true, but we both know why you came here, cutie." Their words made Tighnari do a double take, a huff leaving his lips. Another blush colored his cheeks from the endearment they used. Before he could continue the banter, another voice popped out.

"Tighnari!? What are you doing here?" Turning to the owner of the high-pitched voice, the young man noticed the traveler and the other two make their way to the Guild. Paimon flew over to him, standing between him and (Name). "Do you know them?" She asked, glancing between the two. Tighnari kept quiet, unsure what to say until Nahida took account of their behaviors.

She turned to the individual, a polite smile on her face. "You must be (Name), right?" She asked. Earning a nod, Nahida clapped her hands. "I don't know if you remember me but I'm Nahida! The dendro archon of Sumeru. It is a pleasure to meet up with you again, (Name)." The archon asked. Hearing her introduction, Tighnari frowned.

"I'm sorry but you guys know them?"

"Only Nahida does! We're just meeting them now, too. They're here to help Aether learn more about his sister's whereabouts." Paimon explained with a nod towards Tighnari. "Have you met them before, Tighnari?"

"We met at a cave today. Poor fox was about to meet the stars so soon." (Name) said with a cheeky smile. They received a glare from him.

"I've almost eaten a new mushroom found within the caves of Gandha Hill. Fortunately, (Name) was there to stop me." Tighnari admitted, a look of embarrassment on his face. (Name) chuckled.

Nahida looked at the vision user. "Why don't you join us then? We would love to have more extra hands to help, I'm sure (Name) wouldn't mind." She offered. They shook their head, silently agreeing they truly didn't mind his presence. Paimon and Aether agreed excitedly as well. It would be a good chance to catch up with Tighnari. The fennec fox hesitated in his answer, sparing a glance at (Name) who only sent him a wink. Huffing a sigh, Tighnari agreed to come along. With his positive response, Nahida guided the group to the Lambad's Tavern. Today's reunion meeting was going to be interesting.

#genshin impact #x reader #x gender neutral reader #genshin impact x reader #x male reader #genshin impact x male reader #tighnari x reader #tighnari x gender neutral reader #x female reader #genshin impact x gender neutral reader #genshin impact x female reader #tighnari x female reader #tighnari x male reader #tighnari #primal writes

[whumpshaped]

gosh, i’d love another severe separation anxiety drabble with caretaker + whumpee— anything your brain comes up with tbh i love your writing so much

the other separation anxiety drabble i wrote. these r not the same guys bc i didnt have any inspo for them but heres smth that sounded nice in my head

tw hybrid whumpee, separation anxiety, captivity, betrayal, multiple whumpees, multiple whumpers, choking

"This is the only way we'll ever get out of here. Do you understand that?" Caretaker resisted the urge to shake Whumpee by the shoulders as they said that, but just barely. Weeks of captivity had taken a toll on their mental stability and patience. They wanted out.

"No, n-no, there has to be another way, please–"

"If there was, I would take it. But there isn't."

Whumpee whined in the back of their throat, a sound that was nearly constant whenever the two of them got separated. Their ears and tail indicated clear distress, and the tears in their eyes just kept gathering until eventually they overflowed. "So stay! We can stay here! It's not that bad!"

"Whumpee–"

"I can't stay here alone! I can't, I can't do it, I can't do it without you!"

"I will come back for you immediately, I'll call help and–"

"No! No, no, no, either we get out together, or we don't! Please! Please don't leave me!"

"We can do it the other way around," Caretaker tried desperately. "I know how to get one person out! You can be the one to call for help, and I'll wait for you patiently–"

"I would never leave you!"

Caretaker let go of them and took a few deep breaths. Whumpee watched them intently, they could feel it. Both of them were desperate. Both of them were in a very bad way. They needed to do this.

"Whumpee, I'm sorry. If you're not willing to call for help, then I'll have to be the one to do it. I'm so sorry. I'll come back immediately–"

"Master!" Caretaker's eyes widened as Whumpee rushed over to the bars of their cell, screaming at the top of their lungs. "Master!"

They jumped up from where they were sitting, tackling Whumpee to the ground and trying to cover their mouth. They were almost successful, until Whumpee bit them. "Whumpee, what the fuck?"

"Master! Master!"

The door leading to the large basement soon opened, and several people ran down the stairs. Caretaker was now trying to protect Whumpee from a possible fight, but Whumpee wasn't even having any of that. They wriggled out of their grasp, pressing themself against the bars as much as they could, immediately going on a rant when they saw Whumper.

"Master, please, Caretaker is planning an escape, you can't let them escape, please, I just want to stay here with them, but they want to leave me behind, they want to escape!"

There were no words to describe the feeling of betrayal that washed over Caretaker's entire being. It was paralysing. They didn't even know what to say. They just stared at their friend — who they thought was their friend — in shock, unable to move a single muscle or react in any way.

"Calm down, calm down." Whumper grabbed their collar through the bars, choking them a little until they stopped barking nonsensical half-sentences. "Calm down. I'm very glad you decided to alert me, but you need to quiet down."

"Don't let them leave me," Whumpee rasped.

"Oh, I would never." They let go when Whumpee started to struggle and turn a little blue, letting them collapse onto the ground. Despite everything, Caretaker was by their side in an instant, making sure they were okay more out of habit than genuine care. "Unfortunately, that does mean dear Caretaker needs to be punished... But don't worry. I'll let you watch the whole thing, as a little reward."

~

general drabbles taglist: @ashh-ed @whumpsday @whump-queen @the-scrapegoat @hidden-dreamland @rosewriteswhump @dismemberment-on-a-tuesday-night

#also thank u! glad u like my stuff :) #asks #whump #whump drabble #hybrid whumpee #separation anxiety #captivity #betrayal #multiple whumpees #multiple whumpers #choking

[1-800-imagine]

playing animal crossing

kenma x reader, tsukishima x reader

✎ nonsense: this isn’t totally an x reader hc, but the idea popped into my during a late night animal crossing binge. it also took me forever trying to figure out how to spell ‘raccoon’ at like 3 a.m. nonetheless, i really hope everybody is doing alright!! 

KENMA KOZUME:

kenma’s island is already five star, top tier PERFECTION

hybrid flowers everywhere. nice decor. the dreamy villagers.

his island would be a whole aesthetic.

and would you guess what? he’d only been playing for a few short weeks

like he didn’t time skip or anything.

just saying this boy is very dedicated to his games.  

if you’re ever talking about how much you want a particular item of furniture or a certain piece of clothing, you can bet kenma has already shipped it over to your island as a gift.

“kenma, what’s this? a gift? oh my gosh it this the (desired item)?” 

there’s just a very pleased look displayed on his face after seeing how excited you get every time you see a gift from him in your mailbox

he also has paid off all his debt, probably with plenty of money to spare (like tons of money)

tom nook is very happy with this boy.

i honestly don’t think kenma confronts his villagers all too much.

like the only time you’d see him talk with one of his villagers is if he needs to return a lost item or if one of them is moving out or something

he’s really just there to focus on freshening up that island of his

but i could still see him favoring the normal type villagers, not anyone in particular

the normal villagers are, well, normal, and they fit that not-standing out type beat kenma expresses

TSUKISHIMA KEI:

at first, this salty beanpole’s going to think that whatever you’re doing is just pointless.

“that’s a waste of your time.”

“and what else am i supposed to do?”

“uh, i don’t know, study?”

he’s gonna keep up with the teasing and the salt every time you show him something with so much excitement

that is until you complete your first fossil set, and blathers educates you on some nice dino facts

“hey tsukki, did you know that ‘brachiosaurus’ comes from the greek, and it means ‘arm lizard’?”

(fun fact: this is just some fun fact i looked up, and i have no idea whatsoever if it’s actually used in the game or not)

“huh, where’d you learn that?”

“blathers taught me!”

that’s when you whip out your switch, showing him all the fossils you’ve collected over time

his opinion of the game has completely flipped, and now you’ll catch him in animal crossing village of his own.

his village is nice, well kept. it’s simple but still somewhat pleasing at the same time. 

what was nearly weeks worth of fossil hunting and excavating for you has only become a day or two for this boy, and he’s most likely dedicated himself to completing his fossil collection. 

he, like kenma, also probably has his debts paid as soon as they come and teases you for spending your money on clothes or something rather than actually paying your dues

“maybe if you didn’t waste so much money on clothes, you’d have your debts paid, and then that angry raccoon man wouldn’t be after you so often.”

you best bet this boy’s favorite villager is meringue.

like she’s a STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE themed villager, simple as that. 

#haikyuu imagines #haikyuu hcs #haikyuu x reader #kenma x reader #kenma hcs #tsukishima x reader #tsukishima hcs

[waltwest]

The Freelancer

The following is the first thirteen pages of a short story I am writing titled “The Freelancer”. I hope you enjoy. I apologize for the unappealing formatting, this site does not have the most comprehensive text editor.

                                          I.

             Studying the Keurig machine, I wondered how many complacent people it took to ware the word “brew” off the button, leaving behind nothing more than a “b” and an “e”, which looked curiously like an “s”. I imagined this instant coffee machine as the alter in which lost souls came to pay tribute to each morning before assuming their monotonously drudging tasks; lips drawn, eyes downcast. These people were never happy, not even content. It certainly wasn’t a wish of theirs to be here. Men who dreamt of becoming accomplished composers became pencil pushers. Women who yearned to be animators had landed at secretary. The office is where you come to lay your ambition to rest. Maybe it is a lack of assertiveness in demeanor which lands one here, maybe it is the fate of mere circumstance.

           But I, Maxwell Goodman, knew what my job meant; I knew I worked among the dead. Luckily, there was a spark of life that incessantly flickered within me. With my ten ounce mug full before me, I reluctantly took my communion once again.

           Safely back within the confines of my particle board cubicle, the manila folders and stacks of paper demanding this or that seemed to never be satisfied.

           God, who knew lightbulbs could generate so much paperwork, I thought to myself.

           I sat in silence and regarded the congregation of slain trees covering my desk. My collar was sticking to my neck… Trying to strangle me, for God’s sake. My mouth was dry and coated with the thick taste of cheap coffee. My desktop stared into my eyes expectantly, patiently waiting for me to pound away on the keyboard like a good boy… Like I was supposed to. The bulbs may be bright, but they can’t sell themselves!  That’s what my boss Lonny loved to say. Lonny… God, how can someone be balding so terribly at thirty years old? Is it just bad genetics, or too much cortisol?

           I felt a hand clap on my shoulder. “Max-o! Lovely morning, isn’t it? Hey, in case you weren’t aware, Sweet Charade is having a bogo on donuts until the end of the week…”

           Speak of the devil.

           I swiveled my squeaky and unbalanced office chair to face my boss. “Gee, thanks for filling me in, Lonny. You know how much I love that maple-iced.” I responded, attempting to sound enthusiastic. Lonny was a nice guy, he really was. It’s really difficult to be rude to a guy like Lonny, with his premature baldness and all. You kind of had to feel sorry for him in a way, it was impossible to predict whether or not he was just one snide comment away from completely breaking down. He’s kind of unstable, emotionally. Also, his wife died last year. She fell off a cliff. No really, she did. Her and Lonny took a vacation to the Grand Canyon last August. Kept complaining about how bright the sun was and how she “couldn’t see a damn thing.” Next thing you know, she was trying to take a picture of a bird flying above and somehow managed to fall right off the edge of a cliff. Worst part is, she was eight months pregnant with their son, they were going to name him Clint... So yeah, all in all it’s pretty tough being rude to Lonny.

           “I know they’re your favorite, it’s why I told you. Oh, hey-“Lonny pulled his other hand from behind his back, revealing a bloated manila envelope”-think you could handle this for me? Just a little bit of inventory mumbo-jumbo. Nothing too serious!” He was really trying to exude a devastating level of charm, though the effort was ineffective.

           One side of the envelope was sagging down in the air under its own mind-numbing weight. I never thought an envelope could actually look depressed, it almost made me giggle. Grudgingly, I acquiesced and accepted the package with the lift of the eyebrows and a nod. I didn’t want to be mean, but I also didn’t want him to think I was thrilled about all the extra nonsense. Hell, he might’ve even pulled another folder out of his waistband or something if he got the idea I was happy about it. “Here, how about closing this deal for a thousand LED’s to the grocery store down the street as well…” No, I had enough paper, truly.

           Lonny gave me another hearty clap on the shoulder, his bulbous belly jiggling a bit from the force. Again, I had to prevent myself from giggling… I find myself doing that more frequently than I would care to admit. I get the urge to laugh at the worst times, always. “Thanks, Max. I know I can always count on you.” He confided with a smile of endearment. It was difficult to tell whether that was a positive thing or if this was going to come back and bite me in the ass. Probably the latter.

           Ole’ Lonny then gave a sly wink and swaggered off with the air of one who just successfully pawned off his work to an underling, because he could. What a bastard, I thought. He was an alright guy though, I suppose.

           After a formalized second trip to the alter, I submerged myself in the humming of the fluorescents above me and the ocean of paper before me. Seven more hours…

           At precisely 4:59pm, I slapped all of the folders shut and jabbed the power button on my computer with vehemence. My eyes burned like hell, my head was pounding from all of the caffeine, and my hands were all clammy. Very uncomfortable. God, I couldn’t help but to feel that it wasn’t worth it at the end of each day. I was constantly attacked by the bigger picture. What purpose was I serving? What kind of impact was I having on the world? I dwelled upon these questions often, but couldn’t stand beginning to think about the answers.

           After I ended my quick demoralizing contemplation, the sodden procession of rejects began to file out of the glass door. And with the exchanging of “goodbyes” and “see you tomorrows,” my co-workers fell into their hybrid sedans and putted on down the road. Usually I am pulling into my apartment complex before anyone has even started their cars, but I felt like watching today. Sometimes I like to detach myself from situations and just observe.

          Like this one time, I was sitting on one of those couches that are situated in the walkway at the mall. You know, those areas where they have four couches are situated in a square all cozy and whatnot, just in case the going gets too rough. Anyway, I was sitting on one of those couches, just watching. I peered into a shoe store and beheld a child throwing a royal fit, really overdoing it. He was around tromping everywhere, steam spilling out of his ears and all. He was screeching about a pair of shoes he wanted but couldn’t have. They were these real hip joints, green canvas with blue laces. They were disgustingly ugly, if you want to know the truth. Knowing how these retail stores are, I bet they were like a billion bucks. “I want the shoes! I want the shoes!” He was yelling.

          “I can’t get you those… I can’t. I’m sorry, you know I would...”  His father replied weakly, trying his damnedest to not contribute to the mayhem. He looked sad as hell, embarrassed even. I couldn’t tell whether he was embarrassed because he couldn’t afford the shoes, or because his son was being such an ass about it; I suppose it could’ve been a mixture of both.

          “Mommy would get them for me! Call Mommy! I want Mommy!” The kid was belligerent. Stompin’ his snow boots all around the store, trying to leave imprints in the god damn carpet. It was winter by the way, Christmas time.

          “Oh, you know I can’t do that… I’m sorry, I can’t afford the shoes son. Daddy can’t afford them right now.” He was really trying to be quiet and take control of his bratty offspring. Gosh, he looked so ashamed. I cannot stand ungrateful kids. The father ended up buying his son a cheaper pair of sneakers, to the stomping child’s dismay. I say he shouldn’t have bought him any shoes at all, the way he was acting.

          There was something disturbing and insightful about that encounter, though. If I had just been walking by and heard the kid hollering I would have thought he was acting like a bastard, and that would’ve been it. And he was acting like a bastard, don’t get me wrong. But it is intriguing how the layers of the family dynamic unravels, the more you just watch and listen. The divorced parents, the mother always outdoing the father in order to gain their son’s favor… I was able to see a man who didn’t really know what he was doing with his life, or how he’d even gotten there in the first place… He wasn’t in control, maybe he never was. Maybe he never will be. So yeah, I enjoy sitting back and observing sometimes, beats the hell out of boring conversation.

          Anyway, it was time for me to leave work. I grabbed my pointless little leather satchel and walked out the door. Outside, the air felt nice and fresh… I love the revitalizing effects of fresh air. It was especially neat that evening because there was also one of those breezes that whips really good every so often. It made me hungry. So, I decided I would grab some Chinese food on the way to my apartment. It’s on the way, and I have a huge thing for oriental food… especially lo mein noodles.

                                         II.

             Pint of greasy noodles clutched in hand, I stepped into the elevator of my building and pressed the button for the thirteenth floor, the top floor. I have a fear of heights, so initially I was not too keen on the idea of living so high up. But the thing was, I was pretty down on my luck, I suppose you could even say I was vulnerable. I needed a place quickly and this building was convenient for me… As I said, once I realized the only space for rent was on the top floor, I became a little nervous. But, the woman whom I talked to about the whole thing convinced me that rent was actually cheaper on the top floor. So, despite my uneasiness with heights of any kind, I took the place thinking I was scoring some sort of exclusive insider deal. But, after a few months of residing there and conversing with my neighbors, I learned I was paying around $96 more a month than most people in the whole god damn building. Even the other tenants on my floor were paying less than me. Something about my apartment being a “colonial” this that and the other. I don’t know. I swear to God I’m too gullible sometimes. I still had a year left on my lease.

           Up, up, up the elevator went. Nine, ten, eleven, twelve, ding! Thirteen. The doors opened and I made my way down the hall. I will admit, the building itself was not too impressive. The ceilings had a few leaks, the walls were painted an awful yellow. Sometimes the air conditioner shut off randomly. But all in all, it could have been a lot worse. Everything could always be worse, don’t ever forget that.

           Of course, my special “colonial” apartment was way at the end of the hallway, number 327. As I approached my rickety door, my eyes locked onto a lone piece of mail sticking out of the little metal mailbox. A quick pulse of endorphins spread throughout my brain. I love getting mail. I pulled the envelope out. It was from the Print Box publishing company! Panic, fear, and excitement rose within my chest all at once.

           I guess I forgot to tell you. I have longed to be an author for as long as I can remember. It is my dream, I guess you could say. Unfortunately, I haven’t had any luck getting published, or even acknowledged for that matter. I have written many different stories and have sent them to every publishing house imaginable. I’ve even sent short clips to shitty magazines hoping to get a bite, to no avail. The only responses I have gotten have been rejections. Most often they don’t even take the time to respond… Trust me, it’s not like I wanted to sell lightbulbs as a career, you should realize that by now.

           And while I had never received positive criticism or encouragement in the past, it was impossible to not feel hopeful when I got a letter back from a publisher. I believed that one day my luck would shift. It had to… Right?

           I hurried and shoved the key into the door, then shot straight to the couch to read what Print Box had to say. My noodles sat on the coffee table, untouched and getting slightly cold.

           I ended up sitting frozen for a couple of minutes, staring at the front of the envelope… As if the address lines were going to tell me that it was going to be okay, this time was different. Really, I was savoring the moment. I had a certain amount of measured confidence when it came to this letter. In my opinion, the story I sent to Print Box was amazing, one of my best yet. It was a story about an inter-galactic space traveler who ends up meeting God and finding out He’s not how everyone thinks He is. I promise it’s not as crumby as it sounds. It was good. You would just have to read it.

           Life seemed to be still around me; a foreboding, ominous stillness. Blood was rushing to my ears. My hands shaking ever so slightly, I ran my finger underneath the seal, and took out the prophecy within. Please, let this be it. Please.

           It read as follows:

           “Dear Mr. Goodman,

           We received your manuscript for ‘Creator’s Paradox’. After review, we are terribly sorry to inform you that we have decided not to publish your work. It is simply not a fit for us.

Best Wishes,

Print Box Publications”

           A cold knife sank deep into my chest. What? That’s it? The letter trembled in my hands. The excitement and hope fled my body entirely, and had been replaced by sorrow and confusion, even anger. How could this be? I should have known. I shouldn’t have expected anything more. Why would this time be any different? It was then that I thought maybe I should just give up. I am no good at this, I absolutely suck. That must be it… They say to chase your dreams, but what if you are just terrible? I had never felt such dread. Maybe I was meant to sell lightbulbs for a living…

           Unceremoniously I ripped the bad news in half and let it fall onto the table. Sinking back into the frayed cloth couch, I would have been completely okay with just disappearing in that moment, I felt deflated.

           After a shameful amount of sulking, I forced down the then limp noodles, grabbed a beer from the fridge, and slid out onto the balcony.

           The night was warm, but not unreasonably so. It was that time of year when you keep a jacket in the backseat of your car, because you can never be certain which way the thermometer will flow. But even though the night was cozy, I had a rain cloud hovering over my head. I was already beginning to accept my future. The cardboard cutout life I was going to surrender to. 401k’s, strategies to improve my credit score… That sort of thing.

           I sipped my beer and looked out upon the terrain before me, in the most reflective of moods. I had to admit, the view was pleasurable from up here. I lived in the boot heel of Indiana, by the way. An area of the world where it is commonplace for urban and rural landscapes to collide, battling for a prominent grip over the territory. Upon my perch, I could see and feel the city below me: the streetlamps, stoplights, cars honking at nothing in particular, the smell of gas and concrete which invaded the nostrils. But when I looked beyond the ring of cityscape, seemingly endless fields and  small hillocks rolled into the horizon, with a strip of highway interceding here and there. The occasional semi would be finding its way through the night, like a worm over soil. It was comforting in a way, made you feel like you could always just escape if you wanted to or needed to.

           I found and traced one semi making his way across the fields. He was at such a distance, I could only distinguish him by the studded lights that adorned his truck. He looked so lonely, plodding along out there, all by himself. I wondered, was he happy? Did he choose his life for himself? Or did he just throw in the towel, like I was having thoughts of doing… I suppose I would never find out. Not like I could pluck him off the road and ask him. Or her. I shouldn’t just assume they are a man. I wonder how much truck drivers make? I heard they bring in quite a bit of dough, actually… I pictured myself taking the reigns of my own eighteen-wheeler; soaking in the sights, getting into a bit of trouble at the various truck stops. It didn’t feel right, though. For a moment I felt my skin squirm.

           The fight of two alley cats below suddenly tore me out of my trance. I noticed I was rubbing my fingers together really hard, and all of a sudden the stench of garbage filled the air. It was all discomforting. I realized that this was the moment that was going to lay the foundation for the rest of my time on Earth. Will I push onward, and become who I want to be? Or do I choose the easy, less turbulent path, and adjust. We all stumble upon this fork in the road at some point throughout our lives. Although, unfortunately, most are blind to the path tucked behind the brush, the path we were each destined to take. We only see the wider, more trodden path of conformity.

           As I stood at the helm of my splitting path, I knew within my heart which route I was going to take. There was no question… I was going to part the foliage and venture into the canopied forest.

                                         III.

             The time was getting close to ten, but I had struck a vein of determination and inspiration. I was not going to simply shrug it off and go to sleep.

           Back and forth I paced around the cramped living room. Couch. Coffee table. Television, resting upon an empty entertainment center. Plastic lamp situated in the corner. Generic cream carpeting. Bland, unextraordinary.

           I paced and paced, contemplatively gripping my chin.

           I knew I had to write something. But what should I write a story about? Gosh, I began to get nervous. In the early twentieth century, here was this Italian novelist named Cesare Pavese. There is a quote of his wherein he states, “the only joy in the world is to begin.” The only feeling I get when I begin something is anxiety and confusion… I can see where he is coming from though, I suppose. There is bound to be intrigue when diving into something new. And anxiety. Shit, where the hell did those Valium go?

           My pacing shifted its course to the bathroom. On the way I passed the boring ass photos that were framed in the four-foot-wide hallway, standing guard. A vase of flowers sitting on a patio table. A tire swing. It felt like the first time I had ever seen these pictures. So generic… So dumb. God, they made me want to puke. Why didn’t I take them down whenever I moved in? My blood pressure was rising. Fucking stock photos.

           I crashed into the bathroom and swung the mirror open. The ole’ medicine cabinet, baby. Where everyone goes when in need of a little chemical therapy. We’re all guilty…

           Sifting through prescriptions old and new, some in my name, others not, I eventually found what I was searching for. Also, upon studying the array of medications in front of me, I realized I may have a slight drug problem. Oh well, it’s not as bad as it once was.

           I recall one incident in particular from the past. I must have taken twelve Xanax bars, maybe more. I went to the park (I love the park) and was feeding some pigeons; leftover Doritos I had found in my car, they were at least four months past the expiration date. Anyway, after just tossing chips around all over the sidewalk for about half an hour, I took a particularly special interest in one of the pigeons. He was a bit smaller than the rest, and one of his eyes was circled in black. Incredibly unique, at least in comparison the others. He was really taking control of the situation too, despite his size. Really getting in there, hardly sharing any of the precious chips. Greedy bastard… I think that’s why I liked him so well.

           Anyway, I decided that I needed him. You know, with his attitude, maybe he could protect my pad or something. I don’t know, I was pretty high. So, after wrestling with him for a bit (if you can picture that), it became clear I could not just pick the rowdy fucker up. Had a lot of fight in him. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he had pulled out a cigar from beneath his wing and started puffin’ at me, head all cockeyed and whatnot. “C’maaaaaaaaaan, that all ya got?” I had to regroup, construct a more inventive method of capture.

           Bingo. Easy. He may have been all brawn, but he still had an observable weakness… Doritos.

           With an inward smirk, I strategically (and sloppily) began making a trail of chip crumbs that led to the opened passenger-side door of my car. Worked like a charm, perhaps too well. The whole damn flock began tottering and flapping over to my car. At this point I realized my coveted plan may have had a detrimental absence of foresight,  I thought I was surely doomed. But as always, there was a solution. When the horde got within a few feet of my vehicle, I started kickin’ and screamin’ at all of them. They all flew away quick as can be, except for my new friend of course, the bravest of them all. Victory. I finally managed to coerce the prize fighter into my car with one last huge Dorito, and off to the races we went.

           He shit all over my seats, my dashboard, everything. God, it was terrible. Stunk like hell, too.  To make a long story short, we were never meant to be friends. He continued to mercilessly defecate all over the apartment, pecked the hell out of my ankles, he was extremely aggressive… Not house trained in the slightest.

           Needless to say, I was positively sick of this bastard by this point… I decided the best course of action would be turning him into profit. I took him down to the gas station and tried to peddle him off to the cashier for three dollars… He declined. But to be fair, I believe if he wasn’t at work and whatnot, trying to look good for his boss, he would have gone for it. He truly looked like he wanted that pigeon something fierce… Got all wide-eyed, sweat gathering at the brow. Either he wanted that pigeon, or he was deathly afraid of it. It was almost weird, his intensity.

           Yeah, I used to be kind of awful about it. That happened right after high school. I wasn’t too productive back then, sometimes I wish I could go back and change those years.

           Anyway, I quickly swallowed forty-five milligrams of Valium in the bathroom, on account of my soaring blood pressure and all. The stock photos didn’t help. Plus, I really needed to buckle down and figure out what I was going to write and how I was going to blow the socks off of the publishers and leave their feet steaming. This had to be the big one.

                                         IV.

             I set up shop in the kitchen, the only place in my apartment that has a table and chair. I had my tools for creation all laid out. A trio of freshly sharpened pencils, a pad of paper, and one of those noise machines that produces rainforest sounds and whatnot. Yes, I like those, and yes, I still believe in pencil & paper. Staring at a computer screen for extended periods of time isn’t quite healthy for you. It’s terrible on the eyes, you know. Additionally, there is something therapeutic about manually writing out each letter of a word, your hand carefully forming every one of those curves… The act feels intimate, and poking at a keyboard just isn’t the same. But I digress.

           Let’s see… Romance novels are too cheesy, you almost always know how they are going to end. I had already recently tried my hand at space exploration. Though space is endless, making the potential for stories based in space limitless as well. Still, I wasn’t really in the mood at that moment. Ugh, brainstorming is too much work, truly. This is why I like it best when the ideas come to me naturally.

           Just as I was delving deeper into thought, or trying to, my phone rang from the counter behind me. It gave me a shock, partly because it was getting so late and partly because hardly anyone ever called me.

           Casually I looked to see who my caller was. “Silas,” the screen read. Of course. Silas is an old pal from school that I kept in touch with for some reason. He’s a morally decent guy I suppose, has a good heart. He just never quite grew up.

           “Hello?”

           “Maximillian! What’s up?” He was totally stoned. In the background I could hear the bubbling of a bong along with feminine laughter. I heard something else too, faintly… Was that… Street Fighter?

           “Hey, Silas. It’s almost one in the morning, what’s going on?” I tried my darndest not to sound rude, sometimes I have a problem with that.

           “Oh, nothin’ much man…” More laughter, it caused me to wonder what the hell was so funny. “Hey, Max, do you have any molly? Need some molly… Ecstasy.”

           Initially I figured he was stoned, but he was progressively sounding more drunk than anything. Probably both. “Silas, I haven’t done molly in over three years. What the hell are you thinkin’, do I got any molly? No, I do not… Are you fuckin’ drunk?” This guy blew my mind sometimes.

           Awkward silence. More bubbling. And yes, that was certainly Street Fighter. “Damn dude, my bad… For some reason I thought you might.” More silence. Generally, it’s difficult for this man to process more than a couple of sentences at a time… Got a hell of a heart though. “Well, okay. Hey, do you know anybody who does?” He sounded wistful, maybe even a bit desperate. All the sudden I had the feeling I was not the first person he called about this. It made me sad in a way.

           I sat crisscross on the tile. Why there instead of the chair? I don’t know, it’s what I felt like doing then, okay? I liked the fresh perspective. “No, ‘fraid not. Haven’t touched the stuff in a long time.” Pause. “What the hell ya been up to anyway, Silas?” I was genuinely interested. I began picking at the tile with my fingernail.

           “Uhhh, nothing really. I-…” He really had to think about what he had been up to. “Went to a Cannibal Corpse concert last week. Yeah, concert and stuff.” He sounded like he was about to fall asleep, or become a corpse himself. God, look at all that dust beneath the fridge…

           Just then, I got a wonderful idea. “Gee, that sounds like loads of fun. Hey, Silas. If you were going to write a story, what would it be about? You know, if you were just going to write a story or something… About anything.” I was curious. I wanted to squeeze his mushy brain and see what came out. Plus, the Valium had me feeling a bit conversative.

           The line was quiet for awhile. I could’ve sworn he had fallen asleep, phone pinned between his shoulder and cheek, slobber dripping from his chin. “-A story? Story… Probably about a barbarian or something. Barbarian who has a club and nails chicks in his cave. Like Conan, I guess.” Silence… “Hey, Conan nailed chicks in caves, right?” He was asking someone next to him.

           Boom, inspiration flooded the inside of my head, almost making me dizzy. How didn’t I think of this before?

Obviously, his idea was stupid. But the barbarian aspect intrigued me. How fun would that be? A barbarian who finds himself in a world of magic. Brings it back to Earth for the betterment of humanity. I don’t know, something silly like that. Something people will read, something that will keep them entertained.

           Silas focused his attention back to me. I had almost forgotten I was on the phone with him. “Max, buddy. Hey, Max. Do you have any molly, by chance?”

           I didn’t have the time for this anymore. I needed to get to work. “Sorry, gotta go. Goodbye, Silas.” I hung up the phone. Krosmere… That’s what his name will be.

           I bounced up from the floor and positioned myself back at the table.

           I took a deep breath, turned on the trusty rainfall machine, and poised my pencil. It was time to craft the legacy of Krosmere, rogue barbarian. I couldn’t remember the last time I had been so excited to start something. I was now beginning to feel the meaning of Cesare Pavese’s words.

                                        V.

             A ray of early morning sun dove into the kitchen from the window above the sink, casting the table before me in an orange-red glow. There I was, hunched over my papers, clad only in an old white tee-shirt and a pair of pinstripe boxers. Every hallow in my body had filled with salty perspiration.

           Truly, I had not realized how late it was getting. Or, rather, how early… I risked a glance at the clock on the oven. “5:41am” it read in its obnoxious neon green radiance. Somewhere down the hallway I could hear the maddening wail of my alarm clock trying to be a voice of reason or something, I suppose. How did I not hear that until now? BAH, BAH, BAH, BAH, BAH. God, I just wanted to throw the damn thing against the wall. I have done that quite a few times already. Like after Cinco De Mayo last year. Threw that motherfucker so good it flew out of my room and smacked the wall in the hallway. Or after the Colts lost the Super Bowl. Hell, it wasn’t even morning time, and I’m not into sports! I just went into my room and punted the sumbitch right into the ceiling. I can be childish sometimes. There was also that one time when my ex-girlfriend threw the alarm clock at me… Does that even count? I don’t know. My alarm clock is actually quite beaten up, I should probably buy a new one.

           “5:47am”. As I sat there a couple more moments, I felt intruded upon. As if the sun was invading my privacy, putting me on a stage for all the world to laugh at. Don’t you hate that?

           I strutted to my bedroom, sticky boxers and all, and silenced the howling beast. On my way out, after tripping over an extension cord gone awry, I stood face-to-face with the blasphemous stock photos. Those motherfuckers were taunting me, I know they were. The flowers! The fucking tire swing! Are you kidding me? Rage flared within me. I seriously could not begin to tell you why or how I allowed these abominations to remain for so long. They really made me want to puke.

           Instinctively I tore the frames from the wall and stomped back to the kitchen with them tucked under my arm. I could’ve sworn to God they were burning me with their wickedness, their phoniness.

           I found myself in front of the window, the same window the damn sun broke in through. I disengaged the lock and threw it open. A blast of chill air sucked inward, air you could tell was leftover from the night. It had a nice smell. It was then that I realized how muggy it had been in the kitchen. Like two (or more) people were in here having sex all night or something. If only.

           I peered outside into the shifting sky. You know, there isn’t a lot to brag about in Indiana, but the sunrises are absolutely beautiful. Picturesque, you could say. Deep reds that bleed over the entire Earth, splashes of orange, streaks of lavender. They are serene.

           I felt a searing on my side. Pulling the photos out from my arm, I flung them out into the open air without so much as a last glance. I suppose I could have thrown them in the trash, but then they would still be inside the apartment. They had to be eradicated, and immediately. With pleasure I envisioned gravity pulling them down, down, down, all thirteen floors, where they would meet their well-deserved demise on the sidewalk below. Gosh, I hope they don’t hit anything… An afterthought.

           It took only a grain of sand in the hourglass of our universe for the photos to collide with the pavement, marked by a satisfying crash. Later some would testify that a dog’s yelp followed just after the commotion, but I heard no such thing.

           Smug and triumphant with a menace destroyed, I turned on my heel, only to be blasted with more joy as my gaze fell upon my papers on the table. Oh, my work! My lovely work!

           The lack of sleep, the now sweat stained boxers… It had all been worth it. I had spent all night crafting the structure for what I know, without a doubt, will be my best story ever. The big one.

           I had finished the outline, was already on the second chapter of the story. Hell, I even sketched out a picture of ole’ Krosmere. A muscle-bound barbarian. Thick, long brown hair (like mine). I made him only have one nipple, though. You know, to add character and all that. Really, I am a terrible artist. I couldn’t draw my way out of a two-dimensional square if I had to.

           I still had about three hours until I needed to start selling lightbulbs, which was fine with me. You can do a lot in three hours, if you really try. I figured I could make some breakfast, get cleaned up, maybe even go for a walk. Working through the day without a wink of sleep was not something I really looked forward to, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. Adderall. I’m fairly sure I had someone’s script in my cabinet still. You know, for emergencies and the like.

           With a newfound pep in my step, I threw the pan onto the rusted stove and began cracking some eggs, whistling along with the birds perched among the rooftops outside.

#writing #fiction

[365daysofsasuhina]

[ 365 Days of SasuHina || Day Two Hundred Sixty: Later in the Year ] [ Uchiha Sasuke, Hyūga Hinata ] [ SasuHina ] [ Verse: Best Years of Your Life ] [ AO3 Link ]

Though Hinata would probably call Spring or Summer her favorite season - given the pleasant weather and the bountiful flowers she loves so much - she will admit that Autumn has a certain kind of...charm to it. The slow descent in temperatures from the scorch of Summer is refreshing in its own way. Of course, it also means kids returning to school, so not everyone is happy about the arrival of Fall. But overall...she finds plenty to like about it.

The shifting colors of the foliage are always beautiful. Though Hinata might prefer cooler colors when it comes to things like her wardrobe, or her workspace, there’s something so...cozy about the palette later in the year. It’s a sign the months are dipping back toward the sleep of Winter: harvest is over, the reaped rewards of a long Summer of work gathered up and stored away for the snowy months. It’s a time to celebrate a successful waxing of the seasons to their peak, and to prepare for the waning back into the cold.

Even the air seems to carry a certain...tinge to it. The smell of damp, fallen leaves...the plethora of baked goods and their spices as people look for warmer treats to ward away the chill. The breeze might have a slight nip to it, but that just means shifting to the thicker parts of her closet. Sweaters (and sweater dresses), leggings, boots, hats, scarves...all sorts of cute things to wear!

Yes, Autumn has its charm. Which is why - as Hinata lurks in her favorite haunt, a little coffee shop and bakery hybrid - she holds her cup of coffee in hands grateful for the heat, watching the season sweep through her little city with a soft smile. She’s spent the entire day up until this little break taking photographs of the shifting atmosphere. While she has a day job at a craft store chain, her real passion is photography...which she indulges in on her blog. She always sees a swell of traffic this time of year as others enjoy the season.

One would think her easily tired of it, given that her place of employment has been swamped with Fall decorations and themed wares for weeks before Summer was anywhere close to over. In fact, Autumn has scarcely begun, and she’s already seeing their Winter wares being put up on display. It’s a little disappointing how...overlooked it is between the hype that is Summer, and the end of the year. Beyond pumpkin spiced...everything, there isn’t much regard given to the season before it slips into Winter.

But, now is hardly the time to mull that over. She’s going to warm up, and then make the trek back to her apartment to get started on this week’s blog post. Already her mind slips into a daydream-like state, picturing the layout and how best to arrange her favorite shots.

Her thoughts are interrupted, however, as the door chimes nearby, her seat only a few feet from it along the large window that overlooks the sidewalk. Blinking, she turns to give the newcomer a glance, shy but curious.

She has to do a double take.

Is...is that…?

Her staring thankfully goes unnoticed, the figure too focused on reaching the counter and perusing the menu. Pale eyes try to see his face from this angle, not quite sure he is who she thinks he is. The woman behind the register greets him pleasantly, putting together his order with a hint of smalltalk she can’t hear from this distance. His body language is rather lax, a hip cocked with hands in his jacket pockets. Dark hair brushes the tops of his shoulders, the top half drawn up in a tail behind his head.

Once he gets his drink and snack, he turns to look for a place to sit, and she all but confirms it. That’s Sasuke! Sasuke Uchiha! She hasn’t seen him in...gosh, years. They went to school together nearly all twelve years, except for a stint while he moved away. But he’d returned before graduation, and then just...disappeared. No one had really heard from him after that, not even Naruto. He fell off the map, moved out of the city, and ghosted everyone.

What is he doing here?

Averting her gaze just enough to be subtle, Hinata watches him out of the corner of her eyes. It’s so...strange. He looks quite a bit different. He’d always been a rather lean, almost skinny kid in school, but...he’s bulked up ever so slightly. Still far from someone like Naruto’s build, but no longer a beanpole, either. His hair was never that long in school, always shorter in the back and untamed. His style had been rather...alternative back then, but now he’s just dressed in dark-wash jeans, a t-shirt, and a jacket. Seems he’s mellowed out quite a bit.

Curiosity is eating at her. She wants to know where he’s been, and why! But perhaps more importantly, the reason behind his return. No one’s said anything about hearing from him or seeing him, so...clearly he hasn’t contacted anyone. At least not according to anything she’s seen on Facebook. Surely by now, Naruto would have thrown a huge fit all over the site if he knew.

But...she very rarely spoke to Sasuke back then. He’d been so...withdrawn. And while he appears far more laid back now, she’s not sure it would be wise to just...go say hello. He might not want to be seen. But...well...he is in a public place.

...maybe she can get a photo of him.

Digging out her camera, she makes a show of perusing through her memory card, turning to sit sideways in her chair. He’s technically facing the same direction as her table, further back from the window, eyes glued to a phone he scrolls through while sipping his drink. Then carefully, ever so carefully, she starts angling her lens, trying to find him through the screen view. Almost...there…

Like magnets, his dark eyes whip to her lens, startling her so badly as he stares right at her that she jumps. Fumbling not to drop her (rather expensive) hobby device, she feels heat bloom quickly through her face.

He perks a brow at her, stopped mid-chew through a bite of his snack. But after a moment to consider her, recognition bleeds through his confusion.

“...Hinata?”

“I, uh...y-yes?” Caught red-handed and not having the gall to try to fib, she shrinks in her chair, clinging to her camera. “Er...Sasuke, right?”

“Yeah.”

Well, she’s already embarrassed herself this much...might as well go all-out. “What - w-what are you...doing here?”

“Getting some coffee. Same as you, looks like.”

“I - no, I mean...here. In town. No one has seen you in...in ages! You just sort of...disappeared.”

Clearing his teeth behind his lips, Sasuke adjusts his posture a bit. “Took some time to travel. Wanted to get away from it all for a while. Hopped around a few cities, took odd jobs...but thought I’d come back now that it all sort of lost its spark. Didn’t think I’d run into someone I knew so quickly, though.”

Someone he...knew? But...they hadn’t exactly been friends… “I see! Well, it - it’s nice to see you. So...you’re here to...stay?”

“I think so. Still planning things out. Been mostly winging it for the past few years, so...I have to get used to it again. Working on finding a place and a job. Thought I’d lie low and get that figured out before letting anyone know I was back…”

“Oh, I-I won’t tell anyone!”

“Thanks. But...weren’t you trying to take my picture?”

Jolting, her blush returns full force. “I was just, um...I-I wasn’t sure if it was really...you! You look...different.”

“Yeah? You too. No more baggy clothes and curtain hair, huh?”

Hinata blinks. He...remembers that? “N...no. Not so much, at least. I...well, I guess change is h-hard to avoid. Even if you don’t notice it over time. Must be, um...easier for you to notice, since...since you’ve been gone.” Clearly still nervous, she smiles sheepishly, gesturing to the window. “You...you picked a great time to come back! The weather’s been very...very nice. And the Autumn colors are at their peak. That’s what I have the c-camera for. Was out...taking pictures.” And not just looking like a creep sneaking photos of people… she thinks to herself, wilting.

“Photography, huh? Neat hobby. Get any good shots?”

This seems so...strange. To just be...talking to him. They’d been in completely different circles in high school. Now that sort of cliquey nonsense seems so...childish. But still...they’re practically strangers beyond a few overlapping acquaintances. “I...I think so. I need to go...through them. And get them posted. I...I run a little blog, it - it’s nothing fancy. Just...well, just a hobby.”

Sasuke nods. “Hobbies are good. Keep you sane through the other life crap you gotta put up with. I’d like to see it.”

“You -? It...it’s not that -”

“You were always one of those quiet ones in school. That means you know how to observe. Bet you take great photos.”

The compliment catches her off-guard. “...I…? Well, I...I try.”

“What’s the site?”

Pink in embarrassment, Hinata just...writes it on a napkin, handing it over. “Don’t, um...don’t have too high of expectations. I’m still...I’m still learning. A-about a lot of how it all, um...works.”

He waves a hand. “Maybe I oughta make one. Took a lot of photos while I traveled.”

Hinata can’t help a small perk. “Oh, you...you should! I’d love to see them!”

“...I’ll look into it. Maybe yours’ll give me some inspiration.”

She blinks, still rosy.

“Well...I gotta get going. Lot to do tomorrow,” he then announces, rising from his seat. “Nice seeing you, Hinata. Maybe I’ll bump into you again.”

“I-I bet you will. I’m here a lot, so…” She trails off, unsure what else to say. As he offers a farewell, she waves, still not quite...grasping their entire exchange. It felt so alien. Now that he’s gone, she’s not even sure it really happened.

But, either way, she remains true to her word, deciding not to mention the sighting to anyone. Sounds like he’ll be busy enough as it is without anyone pestering him. Looking into her empty coffee cup, Hinata thinks for a moment longer before packing up her things.

...she’s got a blog post to work on.

                                                             .oOo.

     Tired @~@ But I like this one pretty well. I'm a HUGE fan of Autumn myself, so getting to add it to the background of a drabble is nice~ Otherwise...not too much to say about this one. Just a chance encounter between two prior acquaintances. Might continue it at some point. Honestly there's so many of these that could use part twos or full fics...I can't keep track anymore xD But we'll see~      Anywho, I need to get some sleep - I'm still a day behind here, and tomorrow's gonna be another very busy day. The next two weeks or so (at least) are still gonna be very...eventful, so I can't make any promises about catching up. But I'll try, at least, not to fall any further behind lol - anyway, thanks for reading!

#sasuhina #uchiha sasuke #hyūga hinata #best years of your life [ au ] #365daysofsasuhina

[daydream-hobii]

Spots | Hybrid!Jungkook | Part 1

Genre: Hybrid!AU; Fluff; Angst

Pairing: Jaguar!Jungkook x Reader

Summary: Your parents treat hybrids for their animal part, as if they were below your feet just because they have ears and a tail, along with animal instincts. You’re leaving dinner after a heated argument, when you hear whimpering from an alley.

Warning: Mentions of Abuse; Some Gore; Phobic Parents

Word Count: 1,092

Part 2 // Part 3 [FINAL] //

Author’s Note: Thanks for the request!! Oooooh, am I a sucker for Hybrid!AU’s…. Also, so, um… I think I completely took this request the wrong way.... Lol. I’m a sucker for angst, and I just kind of... wrote? Yeah, I think I took it in the complete wrong direction. I’m so sorry... T-T I hope you like it though!! ^_^

           You were at dinner with your hybrid-phobic parents, who just so happened to be talking about that subject. They owned this restaurant, which was going to be in your name one day. They knew your feelings on it, and always tried to push you to be like them, but you just refused.

           “It’s disgusting, they’re animals, they belong outside,” Mom said, making you roll your eyes.

           “Yeah, like yours?” You growled, making them annoyed.

           “Y/N, sweetheart, they all have houses and beds and heaters or coolers for the year, they’re fine,” Dad said.

           “Dad, they’re called hybrids for a reason. Half animal, half human,” You replied, making your mom slam the table.

           “Enough of your nonsense. We are leaving,” She said, standing up.

           “Well, good thing I have my own place then,” You mumbled, gaining a glare from your dad.

           You all walked out, your mom’s nose in the air and your dad following close behind. You sighed, following as you pulled your car keys out. A whimper erupted, your delicate ears catching it. It was soft, but there. You quickly turned to face an alley. There were dumpsters and trash, nothing unusual.

           “Dear, what’s wrong?” Dad said, making your mom look towards you. There was another soft whimper, so you began walking down it.

           “Y/N. Y/N! Get back here,” Mom yelled, but you ignored her.

           You listened for the whimpering, rounding a dumpster to see a boy laying there, bloody. You gave a small gasp, noticing his ears and tail. He had some faint spots that resembled a jaguar on his neck to match his spotted ears, along with his tail.

           “Oh no,” You whispered, making him look at you. He was holding his limp arm and backing into a corner, terrified.

           His ear was cut, along with his lip. He had bruises up and down his arms and legs, matching closely to his face. His clothes were shredded, and you could see his toned stomach, which had cuts on it. You knelt low, keeping your distance as your parents came, gasping.

           “Leave that mutt, Y/N!” Your mom commanded, making you stare at her with hard eyes.

           “He could be dangerous, let’s go,” Dad said, trying to grab you, but you moved your arm away fast, making the hybrid cover his face with his good hand and yelp in fear.

           “Y/N, if you don’t come with this instant, you are disowned from the family,” Mom said, making you stand up and stare her down.

           “Guess I’m disowned. About time,” You replied.

           You watched your mom get dragged away by your dad, screaming at you. You knelt back down, noticing the jaguar hybrid get curious. He was peeking through his bloody fingers on his one hand, eyes sparkling ever so slightly.

           “Hi, I’m Y/N…. What’s your name?” You asked, lightly.

           “Jung… Jungkook,” He stuttered out, his voice hoarse. You smiled softly, taking a step closer.

           “Hi, Jungkook. You’re hurt pretty badly…. You may need a doctor,” You whispered, making him whine in protest.

           “No, please. They’ll send me back to him, I’m begging you,” He whimpered, making your heart act.

           “Hey, shh, it’s okay,” You whispered, stepping a bit closer. You were close enough to touch him, but you didn’t lift a finger. “It’s alright to be scared… but you’re arm looks broken, Jungkook. You need to get it fixed.”

           “You don’t get it, he’ll just do it again,” Jungkook begged, gripping his arm again.

           “Jungkook,” You soothed, gently touching his leg. “ I promise that he’s not going to do that to you ever again.” Jungkook took a moment to stare at you, before nodding.

             You both arrived at the hospital, and once the nurses laid eyes on Jungkook, they rushed him through. You filled out the only information you knew on him and decided to chat with the woman at the front desk.

           “That poor boy,” She said, sighing. “Any idea what happened?”

           “Not a clue,” You replied, looking to where Jungkook was taken. “He was dumped in an alleyway, no doubt to die…. Hey, do you know if there’s any laws against that? I’d hate for him to have to go back to that owner.”

           “Oh, gosh. I never thought of that, they’re probably taking his blood for a DNA test now to see who has him tagged,” She mumbled, biting her lip. “They did just pass a law last year.” She began to type very fast on her computer.

           “Here,” She said, turning her screen. “They passed a law that abused hybrids are to be removed immediately. The owner is to be fined but… oh god, they can get a new hybrid after six months of probation.”

           “Damn,” You mumbled, running a hand through your hair. “Well, at least Jungkook will be safe….”

           “Take care of him, he seems like a sweet boy,” She said.

           “Miss Y/L/N’s?” Your name was called, and you saw a doctor nodding to follow her, so you did.

           “Is he alright?” You asked, biting your lip.

           “He’s stable, maybe not mentally. We cleaned him up and wrapped his arm. Whoever owned him did a number on him,” She said, stopping in front of a room. “We contacted his owner and he’s on his way. We’ve, also, called the police in case this gets rough.”

           “You’re prepared, huh?” You asked, eyeing her.

           “Unfortunately, it happens more often than you think,” She said.

           Someone called her away, and you looked at the hospital door. You carefully knocked, peeking in to see Jungkook cuddling into the pillow and purring. You giggled, gaining his attention. He seemed to relax a little, looking at you with such trust.

           “Y/N, hi,” He said, flashing a small smile as you walked over, sitting on the bed.

           “Feeling better?” You asked, making him hum in response.

           “Yeah. This bed is so soft…. Oh! They’re also going to bring me a whole meal!” He exclaimed, tail flicking in excitement.

           “Jungkook, when was the last time you ate?” You asked, eyeing him.

           “Maybe a week ago? All I know is I’m starving,” He said, smiling bright. He had a couple of very sharp canines, making you smile a little.

           “Miss Y/L/N, the owner is here,” A nurse said into the room before quickly leaving. Jungkook tensed up, the color draining from his face. You held up your hands as he gripped the bedsheet, knuckles turning white.

           “Hey, calm down, it’s okay,” You whispered. He quickly grabbed your hand, fear clear in his eyes. “You’re staying with me…. I promise, I’m not leaving you.”

#bts #bts reactions #Bangtan boys #Bangtan boys reactions #bts imagines #bts scenarios #bts hybrid au #jungkook #kookie #hybrid jungkook #bts fluff #bts angst #requested #anon

[bbyboyjeonjk-blog]

Carrots and Cuddles 6

Part 5 | Part 6/???

Just a liiiiitle bit of angst. Also, sorry for the late update as well as a short update. I’ve been trying to sort myself out from my situation and also school, I need to focus a lot on my grades since it’s my last year before I go to university ^^ hopefully you all enjoy this chapter!! :D I love you all 💜

—————

7:48pm

You woke up from your nap and tried to get up. You felt something weighing you down and didn’t notice that Jungkook was stretched out on top of your stomach. When did he even come to your bed? You were really hungry but you also didn’t want to wake him.

You started petting his head and he slowly opened his eyes. You stared at him and smiled.

“You and Taehyung didn’t eat lunch..” you said quietly, still petting his head.

He cuddled up closer to you, hiding his face under your shirt.

“We weren’t hungry.” He mumbled.

You felt so warm. But if he looked up, he would see your breasts.

You hit his head lightly but hard enough for him to feel a bit of pain and he came out of your shirt.

“What was that for?!” He said as he got up and rubbed his head.

You stared at him and got up, making your way to the kitchen.

“Oh? We don’t have any more potatoes..” you started thinking. You needed to have food ready soon, Jungkook hasn’t eaten a meal since breakfast..

“Kook!” You called out. Jungkook immediately came to the kitchen and looked at you.

“If I give you some money, can you go the the corner shop and get potatoes? It’s the one at the intersection before our place. I thought we had some but we don’t and I need to prep the rest of dinner.” You asked him.

He nodded quickly and ran back to his room to get his jacket. He took the money and put on his shoes.

“I’ll be quick!” He yelled before closing the door and making his way to the corner store.

He hasn’t gone out by himself since being adopted by you. He felt a bit nervous but he was hungry and so were you so he wanted to do something useful for you.

He stopped and looked at the store. He went in, putting his hoodie on so no one would notice his ears.

“Potatoes, potatoes, potatoes, pota-“ he spotted carrots and smiled widely then, picked one up.

Jungkook turned around to find potatoes and dropped his carrot. His heart started racing. He couldn’t move. It’s her.

“You dropped your- You? Jungkook? What the hell is wrong with you?” She grabbed him from the collar and scoffed.

“This isn’t yours. Where is your collar? Where did you go you stupid rodent.” She yanked the collar off of him and slapped him across the face.

“I-“ Jungkook tried speaking.

“Shut up. Do you know what I had to tell those people that wanted you?! Do you know how much trouble I went through because your dumbass decided to run away from me?! Your damn owner!” She yelled/whispered to him. She grabbed Jungkook by the arm and tried pulling him out of the store.

“I-I can’t..” Jungkook said, trying to pull his arm away from her.

“You’re so damn selfish!” She yelled, raising her arm to slap him but someone stepped in before her hand could make contact with his face. Jungkook looked down at his feet and started crying silently.

“Miss, you’re in a public place. I recommend you don’t do this here. It disturbs other people and that isn’t something you should be doing to another being.” A familiar voice said.

“I-I was just so worried.. sorry for disturbing everyone here but my hybrid here has been missing for so long, I was just upset that he had run away.” She said, gently caressing his head.

“Oh? Jungkook?” The familiar voice said.

Jungkook looked up and saw Jin standing there. His eyes widened and started to cry again.

“Miss I think you’re mistaken but this hybrid is my friends. Now if you don’t let go of him, I can file a report for abuse of another owners hybrid.” Jin said, gently grabbing Jungkook by his sleeve to his side.

“Your friends hybrid?! He’s MY hybrid! I don’t know what nonsense you are saying! Tell him Jungkook!” She yelled.

“She’s not my owner.. she just came up to me and hit me. I don’t know her. ” Jungkook said quietly.

“What the hell? Attacking a hybrid you don’t even know?”

“Right? She must be ill. That poor hybrid.”

People around the situation were whispering to each other.

“I will get you back! You are my hybrid!” She yelled before exiting the store.

“Jungkook..” Jin said quietly, rubbing Jungkook’s back for comfort.

“I’m sorry for disturbing you.. I just needed to buy y/n potatoes..” he said.

Jungkook was so scared that he would be taken by her. Never see you again or Tae and Jimin. He was so scared he would have to do personal service for extra money again.

“I have potatoes in my cart, we can pay for this very quickly and I’ll drive you home.” Jin said, linking his arm to Jungkook’s.

Jungkook stared at the floor, still in shock that he saw her. He thought he had walked pretty far away from that area, so why was she there?

Jungkook touched his neck and his eyes widened.

“M-my collar.. she took it off. Y/n might get upset if I don’t have it.” Jungkook said quietly, making his way back to where he had dropped his carrot and looked for his collar. He found it laying underneath the jelly rack and frowned.

She ripped his collar. He went back to Jin while holding his collar tightly.

-

[in Jin’s car]

“About what you saw... please don’t tell y/n.. I don’t want her getting worried or involved with that lady, she’s dangerous and I don’t want y/n getting hurt-“ Jungkook said while looking at his ripped collar.

“Your cheek is pretty red from that slap, how would I cover that up? I think it would be best to tell y/n what happened, I don’t know what kind of relationship you have with that lady but y/n is your owner and she trusts you, keeping this situation from her will hurt her once she eventually find out.” Jin said. Jungkook stayed silent and they drove to your place.

-

“Y/n!” Jin yelled as he opened the door.

“Seokjin?” You saw Jungkook winter after him. “Oh! That’s lucky, you guys saw each other at the store?” You said with a smile.

“Ahh yeah, I was looking for potatoes but I couldn’t find them and I bumped into Jin so I asked him for help.” Jungkook said as he took a couple potatoes out of Jin’s bag.

“Well, I need to make dinner for my guys at home so I’ll see you tomorrow!” Jin said before leaving your house.

Time passed as you cooked and you thought that Jungkook had fallen asleep on the couch again but when you turned to his direction, he was just sitting on the couch while looking down at his hands.

“Hey... you okay? The food is almost done-“ Jungkook looked at you with glassy eyes from tears forming.

“Y/n I lied.. I didn’t bump into Jin and ask for help.” Jungkook choked out.

You were shocked that he was crying at the fact that he lied to you about that.

“J-Jungkook I don’t mind that, why are you crying? It’s just a small-“

“No y/n... not that. Jin helped me from that evil lady. She tried to take me away. Then she hit me and ripped my collar, y/n I’m so sorry... you spent money on my new collar and I didn’t take good care of it. I was so scared I wouldn’t see you again.” He said sadly.

You looked at him and burst into tears. He was so sensitive to things. Even apologizing to you for not taking care of his damn collar.

“Jungkook why are you apologizing because of your collar?! You didn’t do anything wrong! It is not your fault for getting into this situation. If anything, it is my fault for letting you go to the store by yourself!” You yelled.

“Y/n why are you crying? It’s not your fault!” He asked you, pulling you close to him.

“Because! I thought I could save you from your past but she decides to come back out of no where and tries to take you after all the things she did to you! Is she even human?!” You yelled out. “And your collar! I can sew it back..” you said quietly, trying to calm yourself.

“You.. she didn’t hit your more than once right? Does it hurt a lot?” You asked, looking at him for any signs of hits.

You looked at his left cheek which was a little bit swollen and red. You kissed his cheek gently and gave him a smile.

He looked at you then looked away, blushing super hard.

“I promise, she won’t try to take you again. If she ever takes you, which will NOT happen, I will go through hell just to get you back. You’re mine okay? We’re together.” You said, holding up your wrist to show him your matching bracelet to his collar.

Jungkook smiled at you widely. Yes. He was yours. No one could change that.

Jungkook suddenly smelled something, looked at you and then the kitchen then back at you with widened eyes.

“The food!” You both yelled, realizing that the stove was still on and your food was burning.

-

You two sat in silence with the slightly burned food in your bowls.

“I lied about anything thing y/n... about my heat..” Jungkook said while poking his food with his chopsticks.

“Okay new rule, we do not keep secrets anymore, it ruins our trust with each other. If we have a problem, we talk about it.” You said, before putting a little bit of the food in your mouth.

Gosh. Is it even edible still?

“Anyways, my heat.. it started two days ago but I didn’t tell you because I was embarrassed.” He said while avoiding eye contact with you.

He’s so cute :(

“O-oh your heat. What do I do? Should I tie you to the bed? Do I lock you in your room?” You asked hesitantly.

“I took the medicine so I’m fine.” He said with a smile.

You were so curious as to what happens and couldn’t help yourself.

“So... during your heat... is that the only time you get excited? I-i mean your-“ you got cut off when Jungkook choked.

“Y/n~ I’m eating!! It’s embarrassing to talk about that now!” He whined as he walked to the fridge to get a glass of water.

-

BONUS SCENE

“Jungkook! Stop forgetting your towel when you shower!” You yelled as you got him a towel and brought it to the bathroom.

Jungkook opened the shower curtain a bit to fast and revealed too much.

*stares at him for a bit and realizes the situation*

Throws the towel at him and runs.

“I DIDN’T SEE ANYTHING!” You yell while locking the door to your room.

“REMOVE THOSE IMPURE THOUGHTS Y/N!” You thought.

You sat on your bed trying to direct your thought somewhere else but... Jungkook after a shower, wet hair, chocolate abs WITH water just dripping down his body AND HE WAS WEARING HIS COLLAR (which you fixed).

Naked bunny boy wearing a collar. Nice.

Then you frowned.

“I didn’t see his tail...” you say to yourself, pouting.

#carrots and cuddles #jungkook #bts jungkook #jeon jungkook #bangtan boys #bts #bts imagine #bts imagines #bts scenario #bts scenarios #jungkook fluff #jungkook au #jungkook imagine #jungkook imagines #jungkook scenarios #jungkook scenario #jungkook hybrid #jungkook hybrid au #bunny!jungkook #hybrid!jungkook #bts hybrid #hybrid!bts

[jenhedgehog]

A New Addition To The Family - A Lapidot Fanfic

Chapter One: "You did WHAT?!"

“Peridot!  Lapis!” Steven called as he bounded towards the barn, the other Crystal Gems in tow, “We're here!”

 “Hi Steven!” came Peridot's excited reply from within the wooden walls of her home.

 Peridot had sent Steven a message earlier in the day, insisting that he come to the barn with Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl as soon as possible, because she and Lapis had a “very important announcement” to make. She neglected to mention the exact nature of the announcement, but her fellow Crystal Gems had arrived as quickly as possible regardless.  After a moment, the small green Gem ran out of the barn with a huge grin on her face.

 “So what's up, P-Dot?” Amethyst enquired, “Why'd you call us out here?”

 “Ah yes! Well...” Peridot began. She glanced back at the barn, looking for her partner.

 “Hey Lapis!” she called loudly, “Are you ok in there? Do you need any help?”

 “I'm fine, Peridot, stop making a fuss!” Lapis replied.  

 The Crystal Gems exchanged puzzled looks. They couldn’t help but think that Lapis sounded quite tired for some reason.  When she emerged from the barn, Pumpkin following behind her extremely closely, it became apparent that something was very off...

 “Lapis?!” cried Steven, “What happened?!”

 The ocean Gem stood before them, holding onto the small of her back. Extremely noticeable against her slim frame was a slightly bulging stomach.

 “It's ok, Steven,” Lapis answered with a kind smile, “That’s why Peridot and I called you to visit us!”

 Peridot beamed and ran over to Lapis, who put her hand onto the smaller Gem’s shoulder and made her announcement: “I’m having a baby!”

 The Crystal Gems all gasped in unison.

 “No no no no,” muttered a panic-stricken Pearl, desperately looking at Garnet and Amethyst in the hopes that one of them would somehow be able to give her the reassurance that she desperately needed, before addressing Lapis directly, “Gems aren't supposed to carry children! Don't you have any idea what happened last time?!  What happened to Rose...”

 “Oh no, it's not like that!  My baby isn't half-human” Lapis explained.

 “But then... how?” asked a bewildered Pearl, who was now anxiously pacing around in front of the others.

 “It was me!” yelled Peridot excitedly, “I impregnated Lapis!”

 “You did WHAT?!” a horrified Pearl exclaimed - while shooting a look at Amethyst, who was clearly struggling to hold back her laughter at Peridot’s brash announcement.

 “Whoa-ho-ho-ho-ho-HO!” the purple quartz couldn't keep it in any longer, "Does that mean that the pair of you have--"

 “Amethyst!” scolded Pearl, while discreetly gesturing towards a (thankfully oblivious) Steven. Quickly averting attention away from Amethyst's question, Pearl asked one of her own, “When did this happen?!”

 “Oh, about a month ago,” Peridot answered quite matter-of-factly, “The baby is growing at a much faster rate than that of a human child. We estimate that Lapis is actually the equivalent of around three months into a human pregnancy!”

 “How is this even possible?” asked Pearl, completely gobsmacked by all of this.

 “It's easy when you know as much about the makeup of Gems as I do!” Peridot proclaimed proudly, with a smirk across her face, “I've discovered a way of creating new Gems without causing harm to the earth! Isn't that amazing?!”

 The others just stared back at her in shock.

 “Well, I thought it was impressive...” Peridot grumbled to herself.

 “It is impressive, Peridot”, Garnet commented, “But it’s important to remember that what the two of you are doing is not without risk. Gems have never reproduced like this before.”

 Peridot and Lapis looked at each other and their faces fell slightly.  As with the others, they held the Crystal Gems’ leader in incredibly high regard, and would love for her to be amazed by what they were doing.

 “But...” Garnet continued, “I trust your judgement on this.  Peridot, creating Gems might be your speciality, but you must make sure you take extreme care with this regardless.”

 “It'll be ok though, right?” a very concerned Steven asked Garnet.

 “I have no reason to believe that it won’t be,” she answered with a caring smile, “But we still don't know exactly how this is going to work.”

 “Oh my gosh!” cried Steven, who had been hit with a sudden realisation now that some of his concerns had been allayed by Garnet, “This means I'm going to be an uncle!”

 He hurried over to Lapis and gently placed a hand on her bump.

 “Hello, baby... um... Peris?” he said happily, “No wait, I've got it - baby Lapidot!”

 Lapis snorted with laughter, “Baby Lapidot?”

 “Yeah! That's how we named Stevonnie, after all!”

 “But our child is going to be an actual Gem, Steven”, Peridot interjected, slightly more impatiently that she’d perhaps intended to.

 “Whoa!  Like a mini Lapis or a mini Peridot?!” exclaimed Steven.

 “Not necessarily,” Peridot told him, “She could be an entirely new Gem, or even a hybrid like you!  We don’t know yet.  But...”

 “We're calling her a Gemling,” said Lapis with a cheeky grin, finishing her partner’s sentence, “There's never been a baby Gem before, so Peridot insisted that we think of a proper name for them”.

 “Awwww!” replied Steven, a look of pure glee written across his face, “My niece is going to be a Gemling! That sounds so cute!”

 Suddenly, Pumpkin ran around from behind Lapis, and started nudging Steven’s leg.

 “Pumpkin!” Steven laughed, “What are you doing?”

 Pumpkin kept nudging Steven, more aggressively now, and began to growl at him.

 “Pumpkin!  Steven’s not going to hurt Lapis, you clod!” Peridot sternly told her.  Immediately Pumpkin began to calm down, but kept intently watching Steven.

 “Ugh, sorry about that, Steven,” an exasperated Peridot told him as held her hand on her forehead in despair, “Pumpkin’s been acting a little... odd, ever since Lapis got pregnant.”

 “We think she’s trying to protect me,” Lapis continued, then added with a wry smile “She even tried to bite Peridot at first!”

 “Don’t remind me...” grumbled Peridot, and Steven and Lapis both burst into laughter.

 Pearl looked on, still wearing an expression of concern. This didn’t go unnoticed by Garnet, who placed one hand on Amethyst’s shoulder and the other on Pearl’s.

 “Don’t worry, you two,” Garnet calmly reassured them, “It’s not like last time.  There’s no reason to believe that Lapis can’t survive this.  Unlike Rose before her, she won’t need to give up her Gem for the baby.”

 “I guess so...” Pearl said, feeling somewhat reassured by their leader’s wise words.  With Garnet possessing her incredible future-vision, it was difficult to not feel at ease by what she had to say.

 “We just need to be there for Lapis and Peridot now,” Garnet said caringly, “What they’re doing isn’t going to be easy for them, so we’ll need to help them in whatever ways we can.”

 Amethyst nodded in agreement.

 “Well, for a start, we should tidy up that awful barn!” Pearl exclaimed, “It’s dangerous for a child to be living there, with all that nonsense that they insist on making art with...”

 “Good to see that you’ve found something different to stress about now, P” a grinning Amethyst teased as she put her arm around the taller Gem.

 Garnet looked back over at Lapis and Peridot and couldn’t help but smile.  She felt so proud of them and what they’d achieved; not only leaving behind the twisted ethos of Homeworld to embrace the earth instead, but now this – creating new Gems in a way that wouldn’t do harm to the planet.  She watched on as Steven ran around excitedly with Pumpkin, while the happy couple stood hand-in-hand by their home, Peridot looking up at Lapis in pure adoration.

 “Come on, you two,” Garnet told Amethyst and Pearl as she gestured towards the barn, “Let’s go and join them.”

#lapidot #peridot #lapis lazuli #steven universe #gemlings #gemling au #lapidot fanfiction #a new addition to the family #jenhedgehog writes #don't ask when chapter 2 is coming because i don't know ;_;